by PIO Los Baños November 17, 2021 The Municipal Government of Los Banos. LOS BAÑOS, Laguna – In its continuous endeavor to protect the envi...
November 17, 2021
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| The Municipal Government of Los Banos. |
LOS BAÑOS, Laguna – In its continuous endeavor to protect the environment and keep the surroundings clean and liveable amid the pandemic, the Municipal Government of Los Banos started its Plastic Waste Collection Program in May 2021.
The Municipality led by Mayor Antonio “Kuya Tony” L. Kalaw has partnered and signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Republic Cement Inc. to use as feedstock for their cement plant the locality’s collected plastic waste.
“The local government continuously strengthens the implementation of “Bawal ang plastic sa bayan ng Los Banos” or prohibiting the use of plastics, along with this as the Special Science and Nature City is the desire to partner with establishments and other agencies to live by the commitment to achieve a clean, environment-friendly and plastic-free Los Baños for the current and succeeding generations,” Mayor Kalaw said.
The municipality has already collected about 6,522 kilos of plastics and other related residual wastes consisting of 2,638 kilos of plastics, 141 kilos styrofoam, 466 kilos paper, 45 kilos sachet and 3,232 kilos of used tires in its first five months from May to September this year.
For the month of October, LGU Los Baños has delivered about 1,830 kilos of plastics to Republic Cement Plant in Taysan, Batangas last October 6, 2021. Another batch was delivered on October 27, 2021, containing a total volume of 1880 kilos. A total of 3,680 kilos or 3.7 tons of plastics were diverted from the sanitary landfill for the said two deliveries.
MENRO Focal Person Lizette Cardenas explained that the Plastic Waste Collection Project aims to contribute to the waste diversion target of the Municipality to reduce the wastes dumped to the locality’s sanitary landfill.
This partnership project with the Republic Cement Inc. that shall utilize plastic wastes in cement-making is an alternative way of managing wastes in the town and reducing the quantity of wastes being brought to the Pilotage Sanitary Landfill.
As she also pointed out, using the energy coming from plastic aids in lessening greenhouse gases emitted from the piles of garbage. And similarly helps the cement plant to reduce the use of coal in their production.
This plastic recycling program was funded by the Department of Science and Technology Calabarzon (DOST 4A) and implemented by MENRO Los Baños.
The Municipality partnered with 28 commercial establishments in Los Baños for this particular project in order to gather their plastics every Thursday, starting at 2:00 pm. A designated collection truck is doing the special collection for these establishments.
The Municipal Offices are similarly involved in the program with collection usually taking place every Friday afternoon.
Meanwhile, during the 18th Pista ng Kapaligiran in September, the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO) together with the Gender and Development Office (GADO) launched a partnership with the Women’s Brigade in five barangays, namely: Anos, Malinta, Mayondon, San Antonio and Tungtungin-Putho.
This Waste Diversion Program involves women who are tasked to collect the plastic wastes from their households which shall be collected by the barangays.
An initial meeting with the barangays and the women’s brigade leaders for the orientation about the program was undertaken on October 28, 2021.
Cardenas expressed gratitude for those individuals and establishments who are participating in the plastic waste project.
“Your efforts in collecting these plastics have contributed in attaining our waste diversion targets and lessen the amount that the LGU will spend for waste disposal in the sanitary landfill,” she said.
LGU Los Baños with the leadership of Mayor Kalaw vows to sustain its initiatives in protecting the only earth we are living in even amid the pandemic.
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