Workers sort plastic waste along the street in Manila on April 22, 2024. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA — The Manila government announced Monday that it had sealed a multi-million peso deal with new waste collectors to boost the city's waste management system.

In a statement, Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna said MetroWaste Solid Waste Management Corporation (MetroWaste) and Phil. Ecology Systems Corporation (PhilEco) collectively won the bidding amount of P842.7 million.

MetroWaste and PhilEco will replace the old contractor, Leonel Waste Management Corporation, to manage the waste collection of the city's six districts for the entire 2025, Lacuna said.

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MetroWaste secured a P412,931,706.32 contract while PhilEco's winning bid was P429,786,061.68.

Lacuna noted that the city had to hire two new contractors because the previous contractor allegedly could not service the entire area.

A task force was formed to ensure a seamless transfer from the previous waste collector to the new contractors, said Lacuna.

She told Manila residents to expect adjustments when the two new collectors take over, adding that the collection schedule would "fully normalize" by the second week of January 2025.

The two new contractors will conduct a dry run on December 30.

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