ILOILO – The provincial government, through the Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office (PGENRO), is set to celebrate the Provincial Zero Waste Month.
January 2024 marks the 24th anniversary of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (Republic Act 9003). This month also coincides with the National Zero Waste Month, established by Presidential Proclamation No. 760 on May 5, 2014.
In collaboration with various program partners, the PGENRO aims to support and enhance sustainability through the implementation of a systematic, comprehensive, and ecological Solid Waste Management (SWM) Program in Iloilo.
Mitzi Peñaflorida, a senior environmental management specialist at PGENRO, said the month-long celebration focuses on promoting the 5Rs (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, and Recycle) as practical solutions, along with the refusal of Single-Use Plastics (SUPs).
The program also introduces the 4Bs strategy (Basura isulod sa Basurahan, Bag, Bulsa kag Botelya) for waste diversion, aiming to reduce and eliminate plastics and other trash from the waste stream.
The celebration will also address the protection and development of the environment and its natural resources, incorporating a ridge-to-reef approach. This is part of the goal for MoRProgRes Iloilo (Movement for a Robust, Progressive, Globally-competitive, and Resilient Province of Iloilo), which sets the direction for the province’s progress. It has various objectives, including promoting high-value crop production for food security, combining ornamental gardening with landscaping and crop production, creating agri-tourism destinations, and contributing to the province’s climate change response.
The calendar of activities for the Zero Waste Month celebration includes:
* Jan. 8: Province Wide Limpyo Iloilo
* Jan. 10 to 17: Linis Galaw 2024
* Jan. 16 to 18: Barangay Kapitolyo Waste Analysis and Characterization Study
* Jan. 22-26: IEC and Tapon to Ipon Caravan
* Jan. 27: Kasadyahan sa Kabanwahanan
* Jan. 31: Launching and Inauguration of the Barangay Kapitolyo Eco-SWM Center/PN
