ROXAS City – About 5,540 kilograms of trash or equivalent to 91,520 pieces of wastes were collected during a coastal clean-up in Capiz.
“Food wrappers at 38,173 pieces composed over a third of the overall trash gathered,” said Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Provincial Office Public Information officer Lorelyn Ofalla.
Around 800 Capiceños participated in the clean-up drive dubbed as “I Love Visayan Sea Campaign.”
The initiative is one of the agreed management actions under the Visayan Sea Ecosystems Approach to Fisheries Management Framework, which was adopted by Capiz together with four other provinces of Iloilo, Cebu, Negros Occidental, and Masbate.
The 15,478 pieces of plastic grocery bags and 5,513 pieces of foam packaging were the other top pollutants listed in the BFAR’s waste audit.
Ofalla said the waste audit was employed to enumerate the type of trash that pollutes the fishing ground, and identify the economic condition and waste management system in the place as to provide proper and effective intervention.
“The coastal cleanup is a public awareness campaign to inform everyone about their vital role on the cleanliness and conservation of the coastal ecosystem,” said Ofalla.
Collected trash will be properly disposed while plastics and other materials will also be facilitated for recycling, she added. (With a report from PIA/PN)
