Mandaue residents are 'warming up' to trash segregation

Residents of Mandaue City are slowly complying with the "No Segregation, No Collection" policy in support of the Solid Waste Management System of the city government which was implemented last February 18, 2006.

Rene Tariman, head of the Department of General Services, said residents in the barangays of Ibabao-Estancia and Subangdaku are positively responding to the call to segregate their biodegradable and non-biodegradable garbage

The city government distributed more than 4,000 garbage bins to all the 27 barangays.

He further said that they also resumed their information and dissemination campaign in the barangays and asked the cooperation of all the barangay officials to instill awareness among their respective constituents.

The city government also imposed stiffer penalties to violators. Under the city's Solid Waste Management Implementing Rules and Guidelines, varied penalties shall be imposed against violators ranging from payment of a fine of P500 to ten days imprisonment, or 15 days community service.

Among the prohibition includes throwing or dumping human and animal waste and other offensive matter in any vacant lots and other public places; spitting, urinating or defecating in any streets or public places; posting of any handbills, posters or streamers without authority from the city mayor; throwing of wastes of any kind or drain untreated water into the city's creeks and coastline, among others.

Money collected out of penalties and fines shall be used only to support environmental management initiatives. - Mitchelle P. Calipayan