Pasig City to strictly implement waste segregation

Starting this week, Pasig City will not collect garbage that is not properly segregated.

Pasig City Mayor Vicente Eusebio said the no-segregation, no collection policy is meant to improve garbage management and instill discipline among city residents.

The city is presently churning out about 2,000 metric tons of garbage daily.

Residents were instructed to separate biodegradable and non-biodegradable household waste and to place them properly in sealed garbage bags, otherwise they will not be picked up by garbage collectors.

To complement the garbage campaign, city officials and a private women sector’s group launched over the weekend a project dubbed "Power in Scrap," a recycling program to help indigents earn money.

"As many women are the most exposed to recyclable domestic materials, they are also in the best position to determine which ones should be disposed entirely and those that should be put into other uses," said Maribel Andaya-Eusebio, chair of the Pasig Livelihood Foundation Inc. (PLFI).

Aside from PLFI, the project sponsors — the Pasigueñas Organization for Women Empowerment and Recognition and Kilos Foundation — also teach participants to protect the environment through proper garbage disposal.

With a capital of only P200,000 in 2001, these livelihood groups, which have about 500 members, now have P1 million in the bank," said Andaya-Eusebio.

She said garbage would no longer be a problem in the city since it could now be recycled and put to good use. "Only 10 percent of the trash people throw will be disposed while the rest can be recycled," she said.

The program, which was piloted by Barangay Ugong, will be adapted by 30 other barangays in the city, Eusebio said.

Councilor Andy Santiago, chairman of the committee on solid waste, said residents should properly dispose their trash and maintain cleanliness in their neighborhood.