Friday, September 05, 2008 Firms agree to retrieve empty fertilizer, pesticide bottles By Jane Cadalig
THE town of Buguias, Benguet is looking forward to a cleaner environment with the impending collection of empty chemical containers by fertilizer and pesticide companies.
Buguias Mayor Felisio Bayacsan said companies selling chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and fungicides will go to the town to collect the empty containers soon.
Bayacsan said the local government, the Fertilizer and Pesticides Authority and chemical firms are set to sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the retrieval of empty chemical bottles.
"We are expecting them to come and retrieve the empty containers. Companies like the Syngenta and Bayer manifested (their) willingness to the retrieval," Bayacsan said.
The MOA-signing is scheduled on September 11.
This resulted from a municipal ordinance that mandated farmers in the municipality to collect the containers they used in their farms and bring these to designated disposal sites in their respective barangay halls.
The ordinance was passed to lessen the pollution of water resources and soil, one of the major problems confronting the environment and health safety of communities in the municipality.
Officials were concerned with the irresponsible disposal of chemical bottles by farmers after using pesticides and fungicides, saying the remaining contents usually flow to the soil or to water resources.
Bayacsan said the impending retrieval activities by chemical firms would greatly support the local government's move to improve the quality of soil and water resources of Buguias.
In 2007, a study revealed the nitrate content found in the waters in the municipality surpassed the standards of the World Health Organization (WHO).
The nitrate level of the water in the town was gauged at 75 milligrams per liter, above the 50 milligram per liter as imposed by the WHO.
To address the health and pollution problem in the locality, Bayacsan said aid from the experts on environment and health safety is very much needed.
