The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will soon turn waste in Metro Manila waterways into bricks through a new granulator and brick-making facility in one of its flood control facilities.

Inaugurated at the Vitas Pumping Station in Tondo, Manila on Thursday, the facility will turn bio-waste and plastics collected in MMDA pumping stations into by-products such as bricks, hollow blocks, concrete barriers, and compost materials.

Both the granulator and brick-making facility are part of the MMDA’s Metro Manila Flood Management project that aims to improve flood management in the region.

During the inauguration, MMDA Chair Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. said the facility, made possible through a Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-approved Filipino patent, will prolong the service life of landfills through the reduction of solid waste.

“Through our initiatives under the Metro Manila Flood Management project, we will be able to reduce the risks to vulnerable communities due to flooding and excessive waste,” Abalos said.

The facility, he said, will also reduce the damage caused by waste dumped on waterways to MMDA pumping stations.

The waste collected at the facility will initially be disinfected, sorted, and segregated, after which biodegradable and plastic waste will go through a bio-waste granulator while glass waste will go through a bottle-crushing machine.

These plastic and glass materials will then be processed into bricks, hollow blocks, or concrete barriers while biodegradable waste will be turned into either compost or charcoal. (PNA)