CAGAYAN de Oro City hall workers and senior high school students were picking up garbage while jogging on the streets, Friday, July 20, as part of the anti-littering campaign of the City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (Clenro) dubbed as “plogging.”
Plogging (Picking of garbage while jogging) was launched last June and will be conducted every first and third Friday of each month.
The group has collected nearly 50 kilos of garbage such as bottles, plastics, empty cans, and cigarette butts along the JR Borja towards the Capt. Vicente Roa streets, last Friday.
Clenro chief Armen Cuenca said the activity aims to clear the streets with plastics and other wastes less noticed and ignored by the public.
“Kanang upos sa sigarilyo dili mana puniton sa mga basurero unya ang uban walay pagpakabana sa basura sa dalan (garbage collectors do not pick up cigarette butts and no one cares about the garbage on the roads). While jogging gabitbit mi og garbage bag then i-dispose dayon ni sa atong MRF (we bring garbage bags which are then disposed by our MRF),” Cuenca said.
Cuenca said these wastes when swept towards the canals and drainage will result in clogging which is one of the reasons of street flooding in the city.
This is also an onset for the implementation of the total ban for plastic cellophane in the city which will take effect on January 1, next year.
Cuenca said they will also make use of the activity to inform every establishment along their way to be environmentally conscious.
“Next time among sudlon ang mga tindahan aron i-inform sila nga areglahon ang ilang tugkaran kay posible nga pasirad-an ilang tindahan basi sa ordinansa (we will inform store owners to clean up their front areas, otherwise we can close their establishment based on our city ordinance),” Cuenca said.
Cuenca explained that they will round up those who will be caught littering on the streets during the city fiesta celebration in August.
“Karong fiesta dakpon namo ang maglabay basura sa bisan asa pero amo lang usa i-reprimand para sa implementation sa total ban sa plastic use didto na i-penalize (we will apprehend anyone who litters during the fiesta, but we will only reprimand them, penalties will start at the implementation of the total plastic ban,” Cuenca said.
“Next week magbutang mi og tarpaulins sa mga strategic areas about ani nga ordinansa para ma-aware ang katawhan (we will post tarpaulins on strategic areas about this city ordinance to promote awareness),” he added.