By Hilda Austria/PNA
LINGAYEN, Pangasinan — Residents of Bugallon, Bautista, Tayug towns and San Carlos City may soon trade their plastic wastes into goods, such as rice and school supplies, as the provincial government of Pangasinan pilots its “plastic wastes for goods” advocacy project in their towns or city.
General Services Officer Evan Gladish Domalanta, in an interview Saturday, said the project called “Kalinisan Karaban” was initiated by Governor Amado Espino III, aiming to clear the streets of Pangasinan of plastic wastes and encourage love for the environment through segregation.
Domalanta explained that the Kalinisan Karaban Store truck will visit one of the pilot areas starting in February and will stay in a designated place where residents can bring their segregated plastic wastes, such as plastic containers, shampoo sachets, sando bags, candy wrappers, which will be weighed and exchanged with goods.
“Every kilo of plastic wastes is equivalent to PHP15, which they could use to buy goods from our Store Truck,” she said.
She reiterated the need to segregate the plastic wastes, noting that containers should be separated from wrappers and sando bags.
“It is the objective of the project to teach the residents to segregate,” Domalanta said.
The collection and trading of plastic to goods will be done on a weekly basis, until it is perfected and can be expanded to other towns or cities or even province-wide, she explained.
The project is in close coordination with barangay officials and Sangguniang Kabataan of every community in the pilot areas.
“This is in support of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, which established the legal and technical framework for systematic, comprehensive and ecological solid waste management program,” Domalanta said.
A launch will be held at the Capitol Grounds here on Saturday afternoon, in line with the National Zero Waste Month celebration.
“The whole month of January is the National Zero Waste Month as mandated by Presidential Proclamation No. 760. The Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (EMB-DENR) encourages local government units to come up with their own activities to promote ecological solid waste management,” said Marygail Antonette Naanep, officer-in-charge of the Environmental Solid Waste Management Section of the EMB-DENR office in Region 1 (Ilocos).
