Under the initiative, RiverRecycle has deployed a waste interception boom along a critical section of the Kinalumsan River in Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City. The system is designed to trap floating waste—particularly plastic—before it flows into the ocean. It is expected to divert around 97,000 kilograms of waste per year, including over 13,000 kilograms of plastic.
The deployment forms part of broader sustainability efforts by Prime Infra, the infrastructure arm of Filipino businessman Enrique Razon Jr., which has been expanding its footprint in waste management solutions across the country.
“There’s so much to work on in terms of waste management and proper disposal in the country, and part of that involves the collection of waste,” said Cara Peralta, market sector lead for waste at Prime Infra. “When you partner with companies like RiverRecycle, which focuses on different aspects of logistics, such as the rivers where waste accumulates, then it is in perfect synergy with what we do at PWS.”
PWS operates one of the country’s largest waste management facilities in Cebu, capable of processing up to 1,000 tons per day. The plant emphasizes material recovery through segregation, recycling, and reduced landfilling—helping to prevent solid waste from entering the environment.
RiverRecycle CEO Anssi Mikola underscored the urgency of keeping plastics out of oceans, pointing out that once plastic enters open water, it breaks down into microplastics that are difficult to retrieve.
“The way we see it, the most important thing is to stop waste from reaching the ocean in the short term, because that’s where it causes the most harm and is the hardest to clean up,” Mikola said. “That’s why we are focusing on rivers, as they are the last manageable point to remove waste before it becomes an insurmountable problem.”
RiverRecycle also brings processing technology that can convert low-value plastic waste into usable materials, complementing PWS’s goal of minimizing landfill use and supporting zero-waste initiatives.
The partnership strengthens Prime Infra’s push for scalable, sustainable waste management systems in fast-urbanizing areas.
— Edited by Daxim L. Lucas
