Property giant Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) and its real estate investment trust AREIT Inc. (AREIT) have partnered with Prime Integrated Waste Solutions (PWS) to have their waste processed at an advanced resource recovery facility, in line with their sustainability objectives.
The partnership was ceremoniously marked at a signing event on Wednesday, June 26, led by Prime Infra President and CEO Guillaume Lucci and ALI Head of Leasing and Hospitality Mariana Zobel de Ayala.
Since last month, waste generated by eight office buildings owned by AREIT were brought to PWS Cebu’s facility in Brgy. Binaliw, Cebu City for processing. Using state-of-the-art equipment, PWS implements a sustainable waste management process focused on resource recovery.
“The municipal solid waste and industrial waste is really a crisis in the country—a very significant crisis, social and environmental, among others. The release of methane has had tremendous impact on climate and thus, Prime Waste Solutions and Prime Infra are making efforts to industrialize waste management at the national level,” Lucci said.
“All of these are aligned with the government’s efforts to fight climate change and prepare the country for the challenges of climate adaptability…With that, we are focused on providing quality service for Ayala Land. We’re going to provide it in a very sustainable and socially relevant way, and we very much look forward to a long-lasting relationship,” he said.
PWS, a subsidiary of Razon-led Prime Infra, uses state-of-the-art equipment in its Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) to maximize resource recovery thus minimizing landfill use. This strategy ensures that about 80 to 90% of every ton of waste received will be reused for waste value creation activities, including the production of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) and resale.
“We’re very grateful for the help of Prime Integrated Waste Solutions’ state-of-the-art facility in Cebu,” said Zobel de Ayala. “We are especially proud to note that this [partnership] will secure Ayala Land’s position as the largest office portfolio to commit to a circular economy approach.”
“Today’s milestone not only celebrates the partnership between Ayala Land, AREIT, and Prime Integrated Waste Solutions, but also continues to set new standards for responsible and sustainable development aspirations for our country,” she added.
Also present during the signing ceremony were Prime Infra Chief Financial Officer Sandy Alipio and Waste Sector Lead Cara Peralta, and Ayala Land Chief Sustainability Officer Robert Lao and ARET President and Ayala Land Offices Group Head Carol Mills.
“We are delighted to collaborate with ALI and AREIT as they share our commitment to innovative waste management solutions that will drive a cleaner and more sustainable future for all stakeholders,” said Peralta.
For her part, Mills said the partnership will not only mitigate Ayala’s environmental footprint but also set new benchmarks by adopting a circular economy in their office developments to benefit future generations.
Ayala Land and AREIT said they are poised to expand their partnership with Prime Infra and PWS to its other commercial properties. Other than Cebu, PWS operates another MRF in Porac, Pampanga, with a capacity to handle up to 5,000 tons of waste per day.