TO INFORM plastic-producing companies of the effects their products have on the environment, the Lapu-Lapu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (LLCDRRMO) will start tagging garbage that they collect from cleanup drives.
Andy Berame, chief of the LLCDRRMO, said the initiative was introduced by global environmental group Greenpeace.
Berame said they will send the names of the companies found to be the top producers of plastic waste to Greenpeace which will then be the one to call the attention of the companies.
Greenpeace tagged the Philippines as the third worst polluter of the world’s oceans, with China as number one during an audit that was part of its #breakfreefromplastic movement. The group is urging big corporations to switch to more environment-friendly packaging.
“Out of the garbage that we will collect from cleanup drives, we will tag the producers of those garbage, like the ones who manufacture sachets. We will tag them and call their attention that their products are polluting our waters,” Berame said.
Berame said the Lapu-Lapu City Government is aggressive in its campaign against plastics, as part of the country’s thrust for sustainable tourism.
“The local government is really involved with cleanup drives with hotels and resorts, as well as the 30 barangays. Because we know it’s called the ‘historic resort city,’ with world-class resorts and beaches that we need to take care of,” he said in Cebuano.
He said the LGU would often initiate coastal cleanups to cultivate the culture of responsible tourism in the community.
With the spike in tourist arrivals who flock to the beaches and other destinations, Berame called for responsible tourism.
He noted that many tourists who go island-hopping and diving throw their garbage to the sea instead of disposing them properly.
“What they bring during island-hopping should also be brought back to land and be thrown properly in garbage bins, and not in our waters,” he said.
The Department of Tourism 7 recorded 1.7 million tourist arrivals in Lapu-Lapu City in 2018.
More than 1.3 million were foreign tourists and around 300,000 were domestic travelers.
As the clamor for environmental consciousness continues to shape the industry, Berame said companies should also be responsive to these concerns.
“Our resources, like our beaches and reefs, are our natural capital from Mother Earth, so we must protect them. We must apply responsible tourism practices in our daily livelihood in Lapu-Lapu,” he said. (JOB)