EDITORIAL - Zero Waste Month

You only have to look around on the first day of 2016 to see that the “zero waste” campaign is an uphill struggle. While rains dampened revelry on New Year’s Eve in Metro Manila, garbage still littered many neighborhoods, with residents waiting for others to clean up the streets.

In 2014, President Aquino issued a proclamation declaring every January as “Zero Waste Month.” The campaign is laudable, but it can only succeed with a combination of improved garbage collection and, more importantly, a change in attitudes toward waste disposal.

“Zero waste” promotes not only proper garbage disposal but also recycling. The campaign has been around for years, achieving limited success in certain neighborhoods. A campaign some years ago to promote waste segregation was initially received with enthusiasm in many gated communities, but faltered after residents considered it too much trouble to constantly decide which types of wastes should go to color-coded plastic bags.

Waste segregation for recycling, however, has slowly gained ground in many public areas. The government, especially local units, may have to jumpstart the segregation and recycling habit. This can be pushed even in impoverished communities. There’s “pera sa basura” or money in garbage; in certain areas, attitude change can be encouraged by incentives such as payment for recyclable waste. Barangay officials can spearhead the recycling effort by setting aside areas for community composting and deploying personnel to regularly collect the organic household waste needed for compost that can then be sold.

Local governments can also tap private companies to collect materials for recycling. Several companies pay good money for plastic, paper, cartons, cans, bottles and other materials that can be recycled for industrial use. A zero waste campaign at the grassroots can go hand in hand with a “pera sa basura” program.

Zero waste may seem utopian especially in heavily polluted Metro Manila and other densely populated urban centers, but it is an ideal that is worth pursuing. Getting started is the toughest part. Once people enjoy the pleasure of a clean environment, there is no turning back.