ENVIRONMENT WATCH

Women encourage use of bayong

SAN MATEO, Isabela – A women-based group here is leading an effort for the return to biodegradable alternatives, among them the ever-reliable bayong as a market or shopping bag in place of the ubiquitous plastic bags. Dubbed Walang Plastikan, this southwestern town’s chapter of the Isabela Green Ladies Organization is now spearheading a “No to Plastic” campaign in a determined effort to get rid of plastic bags and other related environmentally-destructive items.

According to Dr. Crispina Agcaoili, IGLO president, the move for this rice and corn-producing municipality to return to the use of bayong and other bags made of indigenous materials instead of depending on plastic sand bags is part of a concerted effort to lessen, if not to eradicate the use of non-biodegradable items here.

“Our campaign is to discourage the indiscriminate use of plastic bags, not only in malls but also in ordinary public markets and sari-sari stores,” said Agcaoili, wife of Mayor Roberto Agcaoili.

This recently-launched campaign has now been complemented with a town ordinance seeking to discourage the use of plastic bags in public markets as well as other establishments.

The return to the use of the bayong or woven rattan or bamboo baskets or bags, which rural folk had been commonly using before, would greatly complement the town’s environmental protection efforts by lessening the amount of garbage being disposed.

“By promoting the use of bayong, we will not only help lessen the expense on plastic bags which cost from P1 to P10, this will also result in less eyesores in the town,” said Agcaoili.

Coupled with a strict garbage disposal system, he said, the ban on the use of plastics would also reduce the town’s waste disposal problem.

Besides plastic bags, Mrs. Agcaoili said the campaign also aims to discourage the use of cellophane bags, styropores and plastic straws, which are hazardous to one’s health since a chemical reaction may happen when they are mixed with foodstuffs items and soft drink products. -- CL


Baguio garbage problem in a fix

BAGUIO CITY -- The call is back to the basic Rs –reduce, reuse, recycle – as the city government last week took emergency measures – including having trucks haul tons of trash to a dumpsite in Capas, Tarlac – to ease the garbage crisis and move on to a more permanent solution to the problem.

The city’s barangay chiefs Tuesday morning told city administrator Peter Fianza they have rallied anew households to segregate their waste, hold on to non-biodegradable such as plastics and establish and share temporary backyard compost pits for those that decay. Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr. earlier reiterated his appeal for residents to do their share by employing waste reduction techniques in their homes.

Fianza, who was designated by the mayor to oversee management the solid waste problem, explained the moves within the barangay level will give the city time to normalize collection and proper disposal, including locating a landfill site.
Collection in the barangays fully resumed late Thursday afternoon with the arrival of more trucks from Metro Waste, a firm accredited to haul garbage, to beef up the city’s own.

Earlier that day, Fianza convinced a picket of residents affected by the closed dumpsite at Irisan to allow trucks to enter and haul garbage earlier dumped there as a temporary staging area, to add to their loads collected from the barangays and for transport to Capas. The protesters initially stood their ground but eventually relented when Fianza explained that no additional garbage shall be added to the heap and that sorting by scavengers will not be allowed.

Pending the pin-pointing of an alternative staging area, however, Fianza said he will ask the affected residents to allow secondary sorting of waste in the dumpsite as the one in Capas would not accept glass and other sharp materials.

Fianza has also asked the city environment and parks management office to see whether a city-owned lot can be used as a staging or composting area. He was initially considering another area along Marcos Highway which the city earlier planned for a bus terminal, only to find out it has been converted for housing purposes, with some of the lots already titled.

The situation, however, brightened up same day as the Philippine Military Academy offered its dumpsite for compost garbage, mostly vegetable trimmings from the market and animal manure from the city slaughterhouse, the major contributors of this type of waste.

Fianza has also appealed to vegetable farmers and traders to do their trimmings at the farms or at the trading centers to help reduce waste coming into the city. Crucial to the steps being taken will be the city council’s meeting tomorrow afternoon to discuss more permanent measures and funding, including the purchase of a lot among several being offered as dumpsite.

Mayor Bautista has also asked the council to pass a P42-million outlay for the set up of 15 material recovery facilities in the barangay clusters and P35 million for 10 dump trucks. The city’s 128 barangays were divided into clusters last year when the waste segregation campaign was stepped up.

At the weekly “Ulat sa Bayan” media forum last Thursday, vice-mayor Daniel Farinas said the mayor personally went to Capas, Tarlac last Thursday to inspect the landfill facility the city will temporarily use.

Farinas has filed a resolution to declare the city under a state of calamity to enable the local government and the barangays to utilize calamity funds in tackling the garbage issue.

He has also proposed an outlay for the purchase of 16 pulverizing machines to support the waste reduction campaign within the 16 barangay clusters. – Ramon Dacawi and Aileen Refuerzo.