THE same city ordinance behind the implementation of the restriction of single-use plastics in buying groceries and other merchandises, will also be the basis of slowly enforcing the “No segregation, No collection” policy when it comes to throwing away garbage in Cagayan de Oro.
City Ordinance Number 13378-2018 or the “Integrated Eco-bilogical Solid Waste Management,” is now being followed by its implementer, the City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (Clenro).
Starting June 1, there will be a “dry run” in observing the proper segregation of trash within the barangays 1 to 40. Schedule of collections will also be followed: 6AM to 12 noon, biodegradable wastes will be collected, and 6 p.m. to 12 a.m., will be allotted for residual wastes.
By July 1, it will be implemented all throughout the city. If garbage thrown are not well segregated, it means it will not be collected and it is the responsibility of house owners and business establishments to separated different types of wastes.
Definitely, the first two years can be challenging. Clenro has a lot of enforcing to do with only few manpower and many environmental policies that needed to be enforced, which include calling out, if not apprehending, and fining violators of this ordinance.
With the newly formed cooperative of former landfill workers in Zayas that works on Eco-bricks, by turning wastes into bricks for industrial use, it is expected that the city will have solid waste management efficiency in the coming years.
It is also hoped that the new landfill in Pagalungan, will also have a proper way of segregation in the collected wastes, otherwise, people segregating their garbage diligently may be put in vain.
But what’s it’s worth on all of this? A hope that over the long run of implementation, people will become disciplined and responsible enough of the trash they throw everyday, and maybe one day, this will be how Cagayan de Oro be recognized again for another achievement.
It is also good to hear, that the city council of Iligan is planning to have its own ordinance on banning plastic use, and maybe someday, other local governments in Northern Mindanao region will have a unified stance on environmental policies that will prohibit excessive use of such materials and strict implementation of solid waste management. This will be now the challenge of the lawmakers and politicians who just won in the elections recently.
And since June is also the Environmental Month, set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), this is also a time to reflect within us on how sincere we are to commit in trying to have a zero-waste lifestyle as much as possible.
The non-use of plastics bags and cellophane, and segregation of garbage is the first step, it requires consistency and strong will in order to proceed to the next step of environmental justice. These small steps is big enough to create a global impact, if we can manage our wastes efficiently, then there’s no reason for foreign countries to dump their wastes on us.
(nefluczon@gmail.com)