Photo courtesy of PNA
The municipal government of Calauan approved plans for a large-scale waste management facility in Barangay Imok that could eventually generate electricity from garbage collected in Laguna.
Municipal Ordinance No. 03-12-2026 granted a development permit for the project proposed by South Luzon Waste Management Corporation, covering about 84.23 hectares and including a 1.4-kilometer access road.
The complex was designed to combine an engineered sanitary landfill with an integrated waste processing system. Its initial operations were projected to handle about 1,800 metric tons of waste for energy recovery and other uses.
Mayor Roseller Caratihan said about five hectares were intended for the waste-to-energy plant. Other portions of the property could later accommodate industrial areas, housing developments and public green spaces.
The facility could also receive waste from nearby municipalities in Laguna’s third district, potentially expanding its role beyond Calauan’s own solid waste requirements.
Municipal officials traveled to Vietnam in May to examine waste-to-energy technologies and operations. Caratihan said a Japanese company had expressed interest in investing and proposed a system that could process roughly 2,000 metric tons of waste and produce nearly 12 megawatts of electricity.
The ordinance included environmental, social and governance safeguards for the development. The project would still have to comply with applicable environmental and regulatory requirements before it could begin operations.
Calauan had also sought assistance from the Office of the President for the proposed facility, according to Caratihan. The project comes as the Marcos administration pushes waste-to-energy technologies and changes to solid waste management policies to address the country’s growing garbage problem.