JANUARY 1 is not just the start of a New Year. It is also the start of the Zero Waste Month. Proclamation No. 760 issued in 2014 declared every month of January as “Zero Waste Month” – an important reminder at the beginning of the year on the need to be mindful of the waste we produce.
Across the country, this is a familiar sight: foul-smelling mixed garbage left on the streets following the New Year revelry. Very dismaying. The post-revelry garbage situation is inexcusable. The Zero Waste Month is thus a timely reminder for us to observe waste prevention and reduction for a cleaner and greener Philippines.
The unchecked dumping of all types of trash on the streets is not only appalling and irresponsible, but outright illegal. Littering, throwing and dumping of waste matter in public places such as roads, sidewalks, canals, esteros or parks, and establishment, or causing or permitting the same is prohibited and punishable under Section 48 of Republic Act (RA) 2003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.
We must also point out that what we find being dumped on the streets are mixed discards, including recyclable items that should have been returned to factories and compostable materials that should have been returned to Mother Earth through composting.
Discarded food containers, especially those made of polystyrene plastic, food leftovers, plastic and paper packaging, firecracker residues and other residuals are among the typical waste materials spotted. The plastics in garbage heaps are most conspicuous.
Let this be our collective New Year’s resolution: cooperate with the government in pursuing socially just and sustainable solutions to the nation’s garbage and toxic woes. In particular, let us push for the genuine enforcement of RA 2003, as well as RA 8749, or the Clean Air Act and other related environmental laws.
