From waste to treasure: Davao company turns biodegradable waste into biofertilizer
Manila Bulletin
2023.06.28
It’s no secret that the Philippines has a garbage problem. A World Wildlife Fund report in 2020 stated that only 33 per cent of the country’s garbage is disposed of in landfills, with only nine per cent of this going to recycling centers.
What if some of this could be turned into soil-nourishing fertilizer?
This is what Davao Thermo Biotech Corporation (DTBC) is trying to do.
The company began in 2014 when its founders, husband and wife Robert “Dr. Bo” and Olive Puentespina, acquired the technology to turn biodegradable waste into biofertilizer, which is a type of fertilizer that contains live microbes to aid in boosting soil health. “We don’t use any chemicals, we don’t use any machinery, all we do is compost,” says Olive Puentespina, Davao Thermo Biotech Corporation’s CEO, having taken over after her husband’s passing in 2021.
This is done through thermophilic aerobic composting, a high-temperature process that uses bacteria as an activator. This particular technology is patented in Japan and turns biodegradable waste in 45 to 50 days.
It’s no secret that the Philippines has a garbage problem. A World Wildlife Fund report in 2020 stated that only 33 per cent of the country’s garbage is disposed of in landfills, with only nine per cent of this going to recycling centers.
What if some of this could be turned into soil-nourishing fertilizer?
This is what Davao Thermo Biotech Corporation (DTBC) is trying to do.
The company began in 2014 when its founders, husband and wife Robert “Dr. Bo” and Olive Puentespina, acquired the technology to turn biodegradable waste into biofertilizer, which is a type of fertilizer that contains live microbes to aid in boosting soil health. “We don’t use any chemicals, we don’t use any machinery, all we do is compost,” says Olive Puentespina, Davao Thermo Biotech Corporation’s CEO, having taken over after her husband’s passing in 2021.
This is done through thermophilic aerobic composting, a high-temperature process that uses bacteria as an activator. This particular technology is patented in Japan and turns biodegradable waste in 45 to 50 days.
Read more here.