The whole month of January is also known as Zero Waste Month in the Philippines by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 760 signed by former President Benigno Aquino III on May 5, 2014. The celebration also aims to guide people in changing their lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable natural cycles where all discarded materials are designed to become resources for others to use. Zero Waste Month is also pursuant to Republic Act (RA) 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

Zero waste is defined as an advocacy that promotes the designing and managing of products and processes to avoid and eliminate the volume and toxicity of waste and materials. It is also defined as a goal that is ethical, economical, efficient and visionary to guide people in having a resourceful lifestyle.

As the Philippines is the third biggest contributor of the plastic waste that goes into worldwide seas, this initiative seeks to promote environmental awareness and action among Filipinos, as well as “institutionalize public participation in the development of national and local integrated, comprehensive and ecological waste management programs.” 

Individuals

• Bring Your Own Bottle. When you’re on-the-go, you’re bound to get a little thirsty. Rather than buying a plastic water bottle, keep a reusable bottle or mason jar on hand that you can fill up throughout the day.
• Stash Some Cutlery. Likewise, when you’re on-the-go it’s good to keep a set of cutlery in your bag or purse. Just wrap a fork and spoon in cloth napkin and you’re ready for an impromptu meal without plastic cutlery.
• Say NO to Plastic Straws. When you’re dining out, just say no to plastic straws. Be sure to alert your server, barista or bartender at the beginning of the meal that you don’t want a straw with your beverage. If you absolutely must have a straw, bring your own reusable glass or stainless steel straw in your bag.
• Bring Your Own Bags. Bring your own reusable bags when you grocery shop and ideally, your own cloth bags for produce and bulk items. If you don’t have cloth bags, you could A) reuse plastic produce bags or B) make your own from old pillowcases! You could also just let your produce go naked in your basket.
• Shop Your Fridge. It’s all about minimizing food waste. When you’re struggling to figure out what to eat, look at building a meal around leftovers or dry goods you already have on hand. Try to get your fridge close to empty before hitting the grocery store.

Government

1. Regulate local plastic regulation by the local government unit. Passage of ordinance regulating the use of plastic and single-use plastic is important towards reducing the impact of plastic.
2. Strengthen local solid waste management plans. This is not only to comply with the recent mandate of the DILG to update local government units’ plans but it is sound and doable.
3. Implement solid waste management plans. We have sufficient good laws but the challenge remains in its full implementation.

 Corporations

1. Address the plastic pollution caused by our country’s sachet culture. By changing on how they produce products, corporations can shift how consumers purchase sachet products.
2. Collaborate with people and the government in promoting zero waste. Corporate social responsibility should focus on assisting the people in communities’ live sustainable lifestyle.
3. Raise awareness on zero waste. To combat misinformation and fake news, it is important to continue raise awareness on zero waste.

How about you? What initiatives are you doing for Zero-Waste Month? # Leo Christian V. Lauzon

References:

en.blogs.article.author

no-burn.org/wp-content/uploads/Philippine-Policy-Brief-on-SUPs-Ban-1.pdf