QC enlisting youth for garbage reduction program

Quezon City’s campaign for garbage reduction at the household level is harnessing students’ creativity in an effort to make the citywide drive more effective in generating youth participation and public support.

Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. formally launched the "Bawas Basura" last Feb. 12 by declaring open to all Grades IV, V and VI students in public schools the "Name the Bawas Basura Mascots" contest.

Teams headed by QC Environmental Protection and Waste Management Department (EPWMD) chief Frederika Rentoy have been conducting a campus tour in the city’s public elementary schools to promote the campaign and inform school principals and students about the contest.

City council majority floor leader Ariel Inton Jr. and city schools division chief Dr. Victoria Fuentes are also at the forefront of the campaign.

Bawas Basura is intended to turn the youth of the city into advocates of proper solid waste management. The slogan of the campaign is: "Bawas Basura sa bahay-bahay, Bawas Basura habambuhay."

To popularize the drive, the EPWMD introduced to the public three Bawas Basura mascots, namely Reuse, Recycle and Compost, which are represented by a rat, a cat and a pig.

Rentoy said these animals were chosen as mascots because they are usually perceived to be dependent on decaying foodstuff and waste. "Our intention here is to show that we have to get rid of them, if we are truly determined to transform Quezon City into a garbage-free city when it implemented proper solid waste management."

A total of P300,000 in prizes will be given to the three student winners, the homeroom teacher of each winner and the schools with the winning entries. Each student winner will receive a cash prize of P50,000 and their teachers will be rewarded with a P100,000 prize. The schools with the winning entries will receive a P40,000 reward.

The winners will receive their cash prizes on March 12 during the flag ceremony at the city hall.