DENR, SM Group ink MOA on eco-waste markets

Inspired by the success of a waste trading market undertaken at the SM malls Fairview, Quezon City and Las Piñas, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the SM Group of Companies (SM-GC) signed last month a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to institutionalize SM’s waste trading activities in all its malls.The MOA was signed by Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo T. Reyes and Hans T. Sy of SM-GC at the Atrium, SM Megamall.

Congratulating the SM Family for instituting waste markets in its malls, Reyes emphasized the importance of collective effort in sustaining the environment for a more secure future.

Included in SM’s eco-waste activities are the issuance of circulars and conduct of information campaigns towards proper waste segregation and disposal. It will also actively promote these activities and practices especially in the local communities and neighboring areas through organizing regular waste markets. Aside from these, SM will embark on various environment-friendly activities such as treatment and proper disposal of its wastewater, greening of the malls’ surroundings, conduct campaigns against smoke belching and promotion of energy saving methods/ techniques. On the other hand, the DENR will provide technical assistance in promoting its environment-related programs and assist them in the conduct of waste markets.

The SM waste markets are venues for trading-in recyclable materials such as used papers, electronics, used lead acid batteries, PET bottles aluminum cans, used cartridges, polystyrene packaging waste, junked cell phones, cell phone batteries, plastic household items and other recyclable waste materials. The implementation of this project is a demonstration of SM’s support to Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 calling for practical applications of environmentally sound techniques of waste minimization such as segregation, recycling, resource recovery, re-use and composting.