The greening of Meralco

More than a year has passed since Manila Electric Co. launched a waste management program right in its own backyard. And what seemed then as just another good habit worth developing is surprisingly yielding profits, not just for the company but also for the surrounding communities.

The pilot area was the Sta. Rosa Sector of Meralco’s South transmission and distribution. The first thing they did was to do away with all trash cans and replace these with just two cans for each office–one for dry (reusable and recyclable) waste and the other for wet (biodegradable) trash. The trash cans are placed where they are easily reached by everyone in that particular office.

"If there is a trash can in every work station, the tendency is for people to throw all kinds of waste, whether it’s paper or leftovers, in that trash can. If they don’t have a trash can under their table or beside them, they will be forced to go to the trash can area to throw their trash. And since there are two trash cans there, they will be encouraged to separate the wet and the dry," said South transmission senior manager and logistics head Francisco Buhain.

Next was to dig a pit for all the biodegradables to be turned into compost. A 3x3 meter hole was dug in the yard of the Sta. Rosa grounds where all wastes classified as wet are dumped. This method is also good for overall hygiene as it minimizes odor that attracts flies and other pests.

Reusable and recyclable wastes are brought to the recycling shed where these are further classified, cleaned and later sold.

Money-Maker

In just a year’s time, the volume of waste generated by the Sta. Rosa Sector offices and the entire Meralco system has been cut down by more than half.

"As of October 2001, the volume of waste generated in the south area was 5.38cubic meters per day; in all Meralco sectors, 20.64 cu.m. per day. By March 2002, we have reduced these to 0.23 cu.m. in the south and 9.57 cu.m. in the whole sector," said Buhain.

Less waste also means more savings for Sta. Rosa. Before the waste management program was in place, they used to pay haulers to collect and dispose of their garbage. With its successful waste management implementation, they are able to save up on the fees for haulers and even generate revenue from the sale of their recyclable wastes

Since the start of the project, Sta. Rosa has earned more than P12,000 from the sale of recyclable garbage. "We don’t use the money for ourselves," said Buhain. "Meralco employees participate regularly in outreach programs like medical missions in our neighboring communities and this is where we intend to use the income from the sale of our recovered waste materials."

Although excited with the outcome of the waste management program, there seems to be no let-up in Meralco’s greening efforts. Already, the Sta. Rosa Sector offices have started putting together a garden of ornamental plants and vegetables where compost from the biodegradable waste can be put to better use.