AKLAN, Philippines — Apart from the untreated sewage and congested roads, the world famous Boracay island also faces problems with garbage, one of the reasons for its temporary closure to tourists.
How much garbage does pollution-challenged Boracay generate?
To resolve Boracay's environmental problems, the inter-agency task force led by the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources recommended shutting down the island to tourists for six months. This period is intended for the ecological restoration and rehabilitation of the island.
President Rodrigo Duterte had earlier threatened to close the island down, saying that it has become a “cesspool.”
Manoc-Manoc dumpsite
In June last year, Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu said the garbage situation on Boracay was becoming a major health and environmental concern.
Cimatu said Malay Mayor Ciceron Cawaling could be charged with violation of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, “mandates local government units to adopt a systematic, comprehensive and ecological solid waste management program.”
The DENR chief also ordered the removal of at least 20,000 cubic meters of residual waste from Boracay’s materials recovery facility in Barangay Manoc-Manoc, which was used as an open dumpsite.
“The huge volume of solid waste caused a longer turnaround time for garbage hauling trucks, thus resulting in accumulation of garbage and delay in its transfer to the sanitary landfill in mainland Malay [Aklan],” the DENR said.
Prior to the closure, DENR Solid Waste Management Division chief Eligio Ildefonso said his department has included the segregation and collection of garbage in its plan of action.
Ildefonso said residents are asked to segregate their waste, which is collected separately.
“Biodegradables should be handled at the barangay level. Residual waste should be brought to the mainland,” he said.
Plastic pollution
Last June, Cimatu said he is "seriously considering" prohibiting single-use plastic items on the island. He said that a large portion of Boracay's trash is composed of single-use plastic products and that has greatly contributed to the degradation of the environment.
Ildefonso earlier said since Boracay banks on the tourism industry, it is “consumption-based.”
"Plastic pollution continues to poison our oceans and injure marine life. When not properly disposed, they clog waterways and cause flooding,” Cimatu said.
"Let us go back to basics. We used to bring a glass bottle to the sari-sari store when we buy cooking oil and vinegar. Let’s do the same now,” he added.
Ildefonso, who is in favor of banning single-use plastic items in Boracay and across the country, lamented how plastics cannot be recycled and reused.
“People have no motivation to recover it. It has no further use so it should be discouraged,” the solid waste management chief said.
Ildefonso encouraged the public to use eco-bags when buying wet and dry goods since these can be reused. —Text by Rosette Adel, Video by Efigenio Toledo IV