SOMETHING SMELLS!
By Alan S. Gensoli
Last Nov. 3, 2008, DENR Regional Executive Director Lormelyn Claudio met with members of the Bacolod Anti-Baha Alliance. It was a candid exchange of information, ideas, and aspirations. Later, we learned that the meeting was upon the urging of DENR Sec. Lito Atienza, and for this we thank him and Reg. Exec. Dir. Claudio very much.
At the end of the meeting, Reg. Exec. Dir. Claudio asked the Anti-BAHA to help the DENR monitor the city’s compliance to a new timetable set by the DENR official with Mayor Evelio Leonardia on Nov. 2, 2008. We couldn’t pass up the chance to be of help, and so we accepted the offer.
Additionally, Reg. Exec. Dir. Claudio asked the Anti-BAHA to help in an information, education, and communication campaign intended to educate all of us about Solid Waste Management (SWM). Although this is the responsibility of the city government, everyone’s help is needed because the task of educating our community is daunting.
Based on the new timetable jointly minted by the DENR and the city government, the most important date to watch is Dec. 5, 2008. On that day, the city will no longer pick up unsegregated or mixed garbage. The city will only pick up residual waste. Thus, it is high time we change our lifestyle, from one that paid no regard for the environment, to another that is respectful of the environment. What then should we do?
First, we must REFUSE. Refuse using plastic bags, especially the sando plastic bags we use to bring our groceries home. Used bags that can be washed and reused. Many of you must have seen the katcha bags sold by the Baha that says, “Hoy! Naga-usar ka pa ya plastic bag?” Also require your cooks to do their marketing using the good old native basket. Second, if we can’t refuse, let us at least REDUCE. We should not allow vendors to put fish, meat, or produce in two, sometimes three plastic bags. One plastic bag is more than enough. When you go to supermarkets, instead of putting different vegetables in separate plastic bags, put them in one and place all the price stickers (bar codes) outside that one plastic bag.
Third, RECYCLE. If you notice, the first step to recycling is washing the used packaging clean so that while we store them at home before we are able to sell them to the junk shop, they will not stink and attract all sorts of scavengers. When the packaging is hard to wash, we usually just don’t bother to wash it. Instead, we discard it as trash. So, the key to recycling is buying products whose packaging are easily washed and cleaned. Small shampoo sachets should be avoided - too tedious to wash. Buy shampoo in bottles or plastic bottles because these are easy to wash and, therefore, are recyclable. From time to time, SM City hosts a junk day where we can sell our recyclables. Patronize this activity so that SM will be encouraged to conduct this more often, like once a week. I congratulate SM further for distributing flyers to subdivisions listing the types of packaging they want to buy back and for how much
Fourth, REUSE. If you don’t want to sell used packaging to junk shops, then reuse them as containers. Better still, when you check out grocery shelves, prefer packagings you know you will reuse. And this is the reason why I don’t want to use sando bags. Sando bags are often reused as garbage bags, so they still end up at the dumpsite. Two wrongs do not make a right. Some suggest, use sando bags as throw pillow stuffing. Well, if you dig resting your back against a throw pillow that makes a funny noise each time you move, go ahead. It’s just not my trip. So, I avoid the sando bag.
And fifth, we must ROT. Garden trimmings and kitchen scrap, such as fruit peel, can be composted. Dig a hole in your backyard and bury these. There are two ways you can hasten decomposition:
First, chop the trimmings or scrap into smaller pieces so microbes have more surface to thrive on.
Second, if you have extra cooked rice, don’t throw it away. Put one kilo cooked rice in a basin, cover with cloth so your pets don’t get into it, and store it in a dark place. After three days, check for molds. You want the white molds (any other color would be bad). Mix the moldy rice with one kilo molasses or sugar and let it stay for seven more days. Squeeze out the liquid from this mixture. You will get at least one liter of liquid IMO, or indigenous micro-organisms. Mix one liter liquid IMO with 50 liters water. Spray this solution (IMO-water mixture) into your compost pit weekly, using just enough solution to wet your compost material.
If you can’t use all of the 50 liters solution right away, don’t mix the liquid IMO with water first. Just store the liquid IMO as is until you need it. But in storing the liquid IMO, add molasses or sugar into it (3 tablespoons molasses per 1 liter liquid IMO) so the microbes have food.
Before you know it, you have good organic fertilizer to use in your garden. If you are euphorbic (meaning, you love euphorbias), your euphorbias will blossom so much better. Isn’t that nice?*
Last Nov. 3, 2008, DENR Regional Executive Director Lormelyn Claudio met with members of the Bacolod Anti-Baha Alliance. It was a candid exchange of information, ideas, and aspirations. Later, we learned that the meeting was upon the urging of DENR Sec. Lito Atienza, and for this we thank him and Reg. Exec. Dir. Claudio very much.
At the end of the meeting, Reg. Exec. Dir. Claudio asked the Anti-BAHA to help the DENR monitor the city’s compliance to a new timetable set by the DENR official with Mayor Evelio Leonardia on Nov. 2, 2008. We couldn’t pass up the chance to be of help, and so we accepted the offer.
Additionally, Reg. Exec. Dir. Claudio asked the Anti-BAHA to help in an information, education, and communication campaign intended to educate all of us about Solid Waste Management (SWM). Although this is the responsibility of the city government, everyone’s help is needed because the task of educating our community is daunting.
Based on the new timetable jointly minted by the DENR and the city government, the most important date to watch is Dec. 5, 2008. On that day, the city will no longer pick up unsegregated or mixed garbage. The city will only pick up residual waste. Thus, it is high time we change our lifestyle, from one that paid no regard for the environment, to another that is respectful of the environment. What then should we do?
First, we must REFUSE. Refuse using plastic bags, especially the sando plastic bags we use to bring our groceries home. Used bags that can be washed and reused. Many of you must have seen the katcha bags sold by the Baha that says, “Hoy! Naga-usar ka pa ya plastic bag?” Also require your cooks to do their marketing using the good old native basket. Second, if we can’t refuse, let us at least REDUCE. We should not allow vendors to put fish, meat, or produce in two, sometimes three plastic bags. One plastic bag is more than enough. When you go to supermarkets, instead of putting different vegetables in separate plastic bags, put them in one and place all the price stickers (bar codes) outside that one plastic bag.
Third, RECYCLE. If you notice, the first step to recycling is washing the used packaging clean so that while we store them at home before we are able to sell them to the junk shop, they will not stink and attract all sorts of scavengers. When the packaging is hard to wash, we usually just don’t bother to wash it. Instead, we discard it as trash. So, the key to recycling is buying products whose packaging are easily washed and cleaned. Small shampoo sachets should be avoided - too tedious to wash. Buy shampoo in bottles or plastic bottles because these are easy to wash and, therefore, are recyclable. From time to time, SM City hosts a junk day where we can sell our recyclables. Patronize this activity so that SM will be encouraged to conduct this more often, like once a week. I congratulate SM further for distributing flyers to subdivisions listing the types of packaging they want to buy back and for how much
Fourth, REUSE. If you don’t want to sell used packaging to junk shops, then reuse them as containers. Better still, when you check out grocery shelves, prefer packagings you know you will reuse. And this is the reason why I don’t want to use sando bags. Sando bags are often reused as garbage bags, so they still end up at the dumpsite. Two wrongs do not make a right. Some suggest, use sando bags as throw pillow stuffing. Well, if you dig resting your back against a throw pillow that makes a funny noise each time you move, go ahead. It’s just not my trip. So, I avoid the sando bag.
And fifth, we must ROT. Garden trimmings and kitchen scrap, such as fruit peel, can be composted. Dig a hole in your backyard and bury these. There are two ways you can hasten decomposition:
First, chop the trimmings or scrap into smaller pieces so microbes have more surface to thrive on.
Second, if you have extra cooked rice, don’t throw it away. Put one kilo cooked rice in a basin, cover with cloth so your pets don’t get into it, and store it in a dark place. After three days, check for molds. You want the white molds (any other color would be bad). Mix the moldy rice with one kilo molasses or sugar and let it stay for seven more days. Squeeze out the liquid from this mixture. You will get at least one liter of liquid IMO, or indigenous micro-organisms. Mix one liter liquid IMO with 50 liters water. Spray this solution (IMO-water mixture) into your compost pit weekly, using just enough solution to wet your compost material.
If you can’t use all of the 50 liters solution right away, don’t mix the liquid IMO with water first. Just store the liquid IMO as is until you need it. But in storing the liquid IMO, add molasses or sugar into it (3 tablespoons molasses per 1 liter liquid IMO) so the microbes have food.
Before you know it, you have good organic fertilizer to use in your garden. If you are euphorbic (meaning, you love euphorbias), your euphorbias will blossom so much better. Isn’t that nice?*
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