IDIS celebrates Zero Waste Month, promotes activities with partners

The Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS) and its partners join the celebration of Zero Waste Month and the 23rd Anniversary of the passage of RA 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

With the theme “Zero Waste to Zero Emissions,” local and national environmental organizations continuously opposing for the establishment of Waste-to-Energy (WTE) Incineration in Biao Eskwela, Davao City due to its environmental effects and health effects on humans. Instead, the organizations are proposing other safer alternatives for reducing waste, such as recycling, composting, and practicing zero waste lifestyle.

In Davao City, various individuals and groups are taking steps toward reducing waste in the City. The Toril Kalambuan Women’s Association headed by Elena Mabano recycles plastic wrappers and turns them into other useful materials, such as slippers, table mats, flower vases, bags, etc. The initiative also helps the women association through the profit they will earn in selling the products.

Limadol, an impact start-up enterprise, is also campaigning for the reduction of waste in sanitary landfills through composting. This enterprise collects food waste in certain puroks of Brgy. Tacunan and feed to their Black Soldier Flies. The black soldier fly larvae, either live or dried, are packed and sold as food for domestic livestock and pets, such as fish, cats, and birds. Compost products are also available in the market as packed organic fertilizers.

The Mintal Resource Collectors Association (MirCA) started as an individual scrap buy-and-sell business or commonly known as “Bote-Bakal”, before the Philippines, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka (PHINLA) Project. In 2021, the barangay local government unit of Mintal and through the support of PHINLA formed the association through their solid waste management program. Currently, MirCA has thirty (30) members who depend on their livelihood in the local recycling industry. MirCA collects recyclable materials at households, and at the same time, relays zero waste information to the residents. Due to their genuine efforts, MirCA has significantly contributed to the barangay Mintal’s total waste diversion of 75,807.75 kilograms of recyclable waste in 2022. Without these resource collectors, these wastes would probably be sent to the sanitary landfill.

“These alternatives provide us with opportunities to transition from a wasteful lifestyle to zero waste. We need to practice these alternatives for us to reduce our waste production. These alternatives can be done by individuals which means we can do something to help our waste problem at an individual level but can produce better effects to waste management collectively. However, these alternatives should be incorporated into the City’s Ecological Solid Waste Management Plan and should be prioritized in addressing our solid waste problem to be responsive to the spirit of Republic Act 9003. As we celebrate Zero Waste Month, we should promote these alternatives and endeavor to look at and create new ones for sustainable waste management,” Atty. Mark Penalver, IDIS Executive Director, said.

Another activity for this Zero Waste Month is the OYA Davao Eco Summit at Assumption College of Davao on July 26-27, 2023. This event will feature the different green initiatives of individuals and groups. There will be a forum discussing zero waste practices, and on the second day, a site visit to the sanitary landfill and Brgy. Mintal’s MRF.