TO MINIMIZE the waste collected from households, Apalit town Mayor Peter Nucom announced that the local government will be implementing the "no segregation, no collection" policy.
Speaking before parents and students in a recent gathering, Nucom explained that every household must start practicing separating biodegradable from non-biodegradable waste in their respective houses or their waste will not be collected.
Nucom said the policy is part of the local government's campaign to raise awareness on proper segregation of waste in an aim to further protect and preserve the environment.
He stressed that the effects of global warming is already taking its toll on the environment and has disrupted the usual course; bringing torrential heavy rain all year-round, and unusual extreme heat during summer season.
The said abnormalities in the environment's natural course brought about by global warming, Nucom said, is also causing flooding/flash floods even on areas that do not normally experience these.
"We must do our part as early as now or our children will never have the chance to see and experience the beauty that is being offered by our Mother Earth today. Let's do this for them, and let us start in our houses," the mayor said.
Aside from this, he said that the program also aims to minimize the waste being disposed by the local government on the MetroClark Waste Management Corporation (MCWMC), the town's identified sanitary landfill.
At present, Nucom said that Apalit town disburses P15 million from its local funds to MCWMC for more than 10,000 tons of waste collected from houses and business establishments annually.
Almost 40 percent of that funds can be saved and directed to other priority projects of the local government such as scholarship grants and financial assistance to the sick if proper segregation will be practiced by residents.
"This will be a win-win solution for all of us. Always remember that there you can from trash by separating and selling those that can be recycled. In that way, you can also help the local government save from our dues with MetroClark, and redirect it to other programs that will be beneficial to all Apaliteños," he said.
Nucom said that he already instructed village chiefs to maximize the use of the materials recovery facility (MRF) in their respective barangays to ensure that only residual waste will be collected by the garbage truck.
The local government and barangay will closely monitor indiscriminate dumping of garbage, according to the mayor.
