'Basura in a Bottle' now ounces change in Basak San Nicolas

WHAT was once a plan to educate children to segregate plastics in Barangay Basak San Nicolas has now reduced Renelyn Sanchez’s three-day collection of single-use plastics from a sack to just one bag per week.

Basak San Nicolas is making a powerful impact on waste segregation through the "Basura in a Bottle" program.

After amassing over five tons of single-use plastics (5,000 kilograms), the program has profoundly inspired Sanchez, a 21-year-old barangay resident and juice vendor, fueling her dedication to environmental change.

“Like katung sauna, sa wala pag nag start ang ‘Basura in a Bottle,’ daghan gyud kong malabay nga basura. Sauna, one sack nako is three days, unya karon, one plastic bag kay one week,” said Sanchez, adding that during peak season or summertime, she can make 10 gallons of lemonade juice.

(Like before, when the "Basura in a Bottle" campaign hadn't started yet, I had a lot of trash to throw away. Before, I would fill up one sack every three days, but now, I only fill up one plastic bag in a week.)

Sanchez, in an interview with SunStar Cebu on Friday, August 30, 2024, expressed how her curiosity was piqued after seeing a post by Barangay Councilor Giovanni Tabada, which showed elementary students carrying pens and pencils at their barangay community office.

“Dako na gyud kaayo to siya nga tabang kay actually, sa imong gigamit nga plastic is nagamit pa gyud nimo the more,” Sanchez said.

(That's a really big help because, actually, the plastic you use can be reused or exchanged for pens and canned goods.)

This inspired Sanchez to encourage her niece, an elementary student, and eventually led her to apply this practice to the waste from her juice sales, such as ice plastics, straws, and other single-use plastics she uses.

“Bisan kapoy man kay maninda pa, ako jud na siyang i-suksok para matigom, kay kana siyang ice muplait ka og P3, so, kana imung P3 mabaylo-an pana siya og de lata (even though it’s tiring because I still have to sell, I make sure to save it because that ice costs P3. So, that P3 can be exchanged for a can of goods),” Sanchez said, adding that she also sometimes picks up plastic bags from the side of the road.

Basak San Nicolas has collected five tons of plastic waste since February through its program, which initially bartered school supplies and later began offering canned goods in exchange for plastic bottles filled with single-use plastics.

Children as initiator

The project was inspired by Barangay Captain Norman Navarro’s initiative to follow City Ordinance 2031, which mandates waste segregation. However, enforcement has been hindered by resistance from residents, Barangay Councilor Giovanni Tabada said in a sit-down interview.

Enthusiastic about continuing the program, Tabada said he and Navarro decided to shift their approach by focusing on educating children in their village about plastic segregation.

“Actually, we started last year, but the program didn't seem to be effective. That's why we looked for a way to utilize the empty bottles and decided that exchanging them with children would be better. Children are our target for this program because they can be easily taught and follow instructions well,” Tabada said in Cebuano.

“Motuo man gud mi nga ang mga bata mas dali makat-on ug musunod, dili lisud tudlu-an,” Tabada added.

(We firmly believe that children are more teachable and compliant. It's simpler to impart knowledge to them.)

In their initial implementation in February, where they bartered for pencils, pens, and canned goods, the barangay collected 500 kilograms of single-use plastics.

“Nakita jud namo nga effective kay ang mga bata na ang muari sa barangay hall og magpa ilis og lapis og ball pen unya dili lang mga bata kay ang mga ginikanan mao naman puy magpa-ilis,” Tabada said.

(It was clear to us that the program was working. The children were eager to participate, coming to the barangay hall to exchange their plastics for school supplies. It was heartwarming to see the whole community get involved, with parents also taking part.)

To illustrate the barangay's waste management, Tabada said Basak San Nicolas has four trucks covering the four areas of the barangay, supported by around 19 personnel.

The collectors previously needed to collect twice a day, but since the start of the project, they now collect once a day.

“Naka-reduce mi og 25 percent sukad pagsugod sa project (we were able to reduce by 25 percent since the start of the project),” Tabada said, as the "Basura in a Bottle" is still receiving barters every day.

Cebu City’s problem

As Cebu City continues to face challenges with waste segregation, Basak San Nicolas, one of the city's 16 coastal barangays, is leading efforts to address its plastic waste problem.

Barangays Tejero and Carreta are joining the project by implementing similar initiatives in their communities.

In an earlier report, improper waste management is still a challenge for the city, the Department of Public Services said, which oversees collecting garbage from major thoroughfares.

From January to June 2024, the city collected 104,009.58 tons of garbage, slightly less than the 104,281 tons collected during the same period in 2023.

In a report by SunStar Cebu on July 22, this year, the World Bank reported that the Philippines is the third-largest contributor of mismanaged plastic entering the ocean each year with 750,000 metric tons.

Tabada and his team have visited all 42 sitios in Basak San Nicolas to promote the initiative and have employed 20 barangay environmental officers to help enforce it.

These officers also educate residents on Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2002, and the importance of segregating garbage at homes.

The Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office has recognized Barangay Basak San Nicolas for its effective solid waste management efforts, stressing it is now one of four pilot areas for a proposed trash-for-cash program.

Tabada is also seeking partnerships with organizations to support their project. Currently, they are in contact with Project Hope (Health Opportunities for People Everywhere), which runs the "Aling Tindera" program, to purchase the collected plastic waste. (CDF)