QUEZON CITY, Philippines – Piles of trash in most cities in Metro Manila welcomed the start of the year, on the first day of January which ironically is considered as Zero Waste Month.
According to waste and toxics watchdog Eco Waste Coalition, the trash found in the streets early this year comprised of food waste, paper packaging and plastic containers, remnants of firecrackers and fireworks, and household discards such as busted lamps, blankets and other unwanted stuff left abandoned in the streets.
These wastes cause alarm because of the threat to public health and environment by contaminating the surroundings, the air we breathe, the water we drink and our sources of food like rivers and oceans.
As the Zero Waste Month is commemorated this January in pursuant to Proclamation No. 760, the Eco Waste Coalition requested the national and local authorities; and the general public to be mindful of the waste they produce.
Zero Waste is an advocacy that promotes the proper management of scraps to avoid and eliminate the volume and toxicity of waste and materials, and to conserve and recover all resources, and not indiscriminately dispose or burn them.
Learn simple yet effective ways on how to participate in the celebration of Zero Waste Month.
Outlined by the Eco Watch, here are 10 ways to minimize the use of plastic everyday:
