Over 1,000 kg of Waste Collected in Igacos Coastal Cleanup

ABOUT 1,000 kilograms (kg) of waste were collected during the coastal cleanup at Villarica Baywalk, extending to Babak Market in the Island Garden City of Samal (Igacos) on January 24, 2025.

Approximately 1,249 kg of non-biodegradable waste, 83 kg of bio-waste (such as manure, sawdust, food scraps, and other wastes that are mostly composed of organic matter), and 30 kg of PET bottles were collected by around 364 volunteers during the coastal cleanup, which was held in celebration of Zero Waste Month with the theme “Integrating Sustainability and Circularity into the Informal Waste Sector.”

Some of the volunteers included Anonang National High School, Task Force-Samal, the Department of Education (DepEd), the Philippine Coast Guard-Samal, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Hall of Justice, and the Philippine National Police (PNP)-Maritime, among others.

Romulo Tagalo, a representative of the United Nations Development Programme, emphasized the need for a shift toward a circular economy in the country. He explained that, on average, an individual generates about 1.5 kg of waste daily, highlighting the need for sustainable practices to reduce waste production and ensure that future generations will still have a planet to live on.

Tagalo added that, under a circular economy, resources can undergo processes such as repurposing, recycling, and reusing, instead of being discarded after just one use.

The Local Government Unit (LGU) of Igacos stated that it will continue striving to implement sustainable practices to achieve its vision of becoming a zero-waste community.

“Through concerted efforts to establish integrated sustainability and circularity, Igacos aims to become a livable and resilient city for all,” Igacos wrote in their Facebook post on Friday, January 24, 2025. 

To recall, the Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS) reported that during their Coastal Clean-up and Brand Audit on November 8, 2024, they collected 533 mixed waste items from the Sabang Coastline of Igacos. The clean-up covered areas from Purok Cacao to Sabang Cliff, with the collected waste including food packaging, plastic bottles, personal care items, fishing gear, plastic cups, and PET bottles. RGP

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