Baras Rizal Online

I was once invited to a birthday party where I met one of the regular readers of BRO. She came from the US and told me that one thing she noticed about the town, when she comes home, is its garbage. You see trash everywhere-roadside, river, market, in front of houses. I have no reason to doubt that she is right but I still believe things can change. Only if we become a “town of character” (as one mayor put it), discipline could be in place.

Last month, when I come from work (between 1 and 5 in the morning), I always notice people sweeping the front of their houses. Funny, as I am writing this, I could hear the walis tingting being used by my neighbors. By nature, Filipinos like to be clean. We take a bath everyday and make sure that we clean our surroundings. If only we can employ the same passion for cleanliness not just within our home, but to the whole town as well, then that could make a difference.

So what could be done?

1. Teach children how to mind their own trash. I mean this in the literal sense. When they are taught at the very young age on where to put their garbage, they will bring that same discipline when they grow old. I remember seeing a poster, “maliit na basura, ilagay sa bulsa, nang di kumalat sa kalsada.” And I always give this mean look when I saw other people throwing their trash (like a Starbucks cup) anywhere, when they could just hold it for a while until they see a trash bin.

2. The local government should device a reliable, practical and even profitable program in garbage collection. This is what I am thinking. Instead of segregating the garbage into biodegradable and non-biodegradable, make it recyclable and non-recyclable. It would be easier that way.

Meet with the private companies who collect, buy and sell recyclable materials. Auction off which one of them could offer the highest price on the materials. Once that’s done, employ the services of out-of-school youth in collecting the segregated trash from homes. There should be a regular schedule. If the trash are not yet segregated, homeowners should pay a certain amount of money to be paid to those who will segregate their trash. You are basically telling the family that unless you do your job of segregating your wastes, you should pay up. We need to put the issue on garbage, not just as the responsibility of the government, but by all of us. And I think people are willing to pay for as long as they see where their money goes to. The collected money could be used in other greening projects of the barangay.

3. Barangay captains should lead the regular cleaning of the drainage system. This shouldn’t cost a lot of money and I bet people are more than willing to help if they see their officials setting a good example.

4. Lastly, speaking of drainage, we can consider parked vehicles in front of the houses as trash. Vehicles, be it a tricycle, an owner type jeep of a Crosswind, should not be parked in the roadside. Isn’t there a requirement that before a vehicle can be registered, the owner must prove that he has a parking space?

The issue on garbage should be resolvable as long as there is a political will. The government should do extensive planning and coordination with other sectors, and not just put up tarpaulins.