Legarda Urges Antiqueños to go Zero Waste

In observance of National Zero Waste Month, Senator “Inday Loren” Legarda urged Antiqueños to adopt a zero waste lifestyle and wants all communities to practise Ecological Solid Waste Management (ESWM) starting with barangays in San Jose de Buenavista.

Last January 14, 2019, through Legarda’s initiative, the Mother Earth Foundation led by Sonia Mendoza conducted ESWM workshop for barangay leaders and environmental officers of the Municipality of San Jose, which she envisions to be a model for proper waste segregation at source, composting and recycling.

“A zero waste lifestyle means doing away with things and practices that would produce garbage. Some very doable examples include using glass or refillable water bottles instead of buying plastic bottled waters; avoiding the use of straw and disposable utensils; using bayong, reusable cloth bags and containers instead of plastic bags when going to the market or grocery; and reusing or recycling boxes, paper, bottles and cans instead of throwing them away, among many others,” said Legarda, author of Republic Act No. 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Law.

The Senator said that an effective way to start a zero waste lifestyle is the implementation of the ESWM Law, which aims to create a clean and healthy environment using a system of solid waste management that includes segregation of garbage at its source, segregated transportation, processing, treatment and proper disposal of solid waste.

The law emphasizes on recycling so that less garbage is actually brought to the sanitary landfill and those brought to the final disposal site are effectively maintained. It patronizes recycling and the use of recyclable materials to minimize waste output. It bans open dumpsites, the use of incinerators, and burning of waste. It promotes the use of environment-friendly disposal of solid waste.

“We have started introducing the zero waste lifestyle to Antiqueños through Mother Earth Foundation’s ESWM workshop. We will do it in all other barangays and municipalities of Antique so that we build not only progressive but also safe, clean, healthy and resilient communities,” Legarda concluded.