SAN JOSE, Antique – Immediately, some local government units cleaned the mess left by the 2019 midterm elections but the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) – Antique will ensure the clean-up to the remotest place.
“Our task is to monitor the uncollected campaign materials, that is why we have come up with a plan to launch the simultaneous clean-up drive on May 21 province-wide involving the agencies of Department of the Interior and Local Government, Commission on Elections, Philippine National Police, Department of Public Works and Highways, City Environment and Natural Resources, Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office, Bureau of Fire Protection, private sector and the community,” said Provincial Environment and Natural Resources officer Andres Untal.
Untal urged concerned sectors not to burn the collected trash because a lot of campaign materials were made of plastic.
Plastic tarpaulins may contain cadmium, a heavy metal with high toxicity listed by the World Health Organization among the ten chemicals of major public health concern.
The post-election trash if not properly disposed will have an adverse impact on human health and environment.
According to Untal, uncollected plastic trash during rainy season will choke drainage and river systems, pollute land and water, and likewise ingested by marine animals.
During the May 21 clean-up drive, collected garbage will be weighed to monitor the volume of trash generated during the election period.
It was suggested to sort and recycle these election paraphernalia.
The MENRO and Environmental Management Bureau will take charge of the collected trash for proper disposal. (PIA Antique /PN)
