SOMETHING SMELLS
Negros Daily Bulletin
By Gigi M. Campos
A couple of days ago, I woke up to see my two daughters who are visiting from the U.S., rummaging through a chest full of old family pictures. The antique wooden chest appeared two toned, the faded portion from mid-section down, a grim reminder of the great flood of December 2006 that left much of Bacolod underwater. My daughters Anna and Jong were saddened to see most of their childhood pictures, still in the albums, damaged beyond recognition. That image brought back much of my own pain at losing so many irreplaceable mementoes. That traumatic experience was the catalyst that triggered my involvement with BAHA or the Bacolod Anti-Baha Alliance. It gave me an insight into the deeper problems caused by the failure of the city government to implement laws and ordinances prohibiting illegal structures on waterways and garbage in creeks - the major cause of much of the flooding in the city. Over the past year we, the members of the Alliance dug into the issues, studied the laws and ordinances and read through voluminous documents and reports, and we saw the immensity of the problem. In Puroks Kimara, Seawall, Riverside and Tinagong Paraiso in Banago we came face to face with the hopelessness and helplessness of individuals whose lives and health were constantly threatened by the floods and bad weather. This left a permanent imprint on our minds. And what started as a personal concern for many of us become a slow awakening to a social responsibility that called for changes in our lifestyles and hopefully in others as well.
At times I have asked myself, can personal action have any impact? What can an individual do about some of these issues? There are many issues of concern in our daily lives - power consumption, fuel consumption, packaging and waste, garbage, safety of the water we drink, flooding, pollution, deforestation, greenhouse effect, and climate change - big names for big problems. But the solutions are not all that big and complex. Small actions can make a difference to these big problems. They alone may not solve the problems, but they will help if we chose to get involved.
Uncollected garbage, especially plastics that end up clogging our creeks and waterways has been identified as one of the major causes of flooding. Unfortunately in this city what we see is garbage, piles of garbage everywhere. Yet do we really care? For most of us, garbage isn’t something we spend much time thinking about; it’s like that old adage, “out of sight, out of mind”. When we see that the mounds of waste we produce each day don’t just magically disappear, then it becomes everyone’s concern. And how many of us are really aware of the true situation regarding the garbage of our city? Do we know where our waste is taken once it leaves our trash bins? What are the conditions in this dumpsite? Is it being operated according the provisions of RA 9003, the National Solid Waste Management Law?
The issues surrounding garbage are complicated, to be sure. The environmental impacts, political influences, social taboos, scavengers and livelihood – the list goes on. And while there are talented people all over the world working to find solutions to a problem that will never go away, I think the quickest, easiest, and cheapest action for us to take is to reduce our waste. Why is waste reduction so important? All the products you buy, or at least their packaging or containers, will eventually require disposal. Packaging now accounts for 64 million tons by weight or 33% of all our garbage. The average individual discards about two kilos of trash each day. If each person reduced waste by only 1 kilo each week, the amount of reduction nation-wide can be enormous .
The family who reduces waste in the home helps protect the environment. Waste reduction is as important as recycling in saving natural resources, energy, and disposal space and costs, and in reducing pollution risks. Careful buying and disposal habits can also stretch the family budget. But what really is waste reduction? Waste reduction refers to:
1. Reducing the amount of waste produced. An example is using china and silverware instead of using disposable paper plates and plastic flatware.
2. Reducing toxic substances in waste. An example is using a nontoxic oven cleaner instead of one that contains hazardous ingredients.
A simple step to involvement is to look at the ways we can start a reducing program. The best way to discover where you can reduce waste is to actually sort through your trash. What does each family member throw away? What materials take up the most space? Is anything reusable or repairable? Can you reduce the amount of disposable products you use? Can you substitute products and packaging made of reusable, recyclable, or non hazardous materials? If you are throwing away unusable leftover products, can you give them to someone else, or buy these things in smaller sizes? We need to watch what we buy because waste reduction starts at the shopping center and supermarket.
When you go shopping follow these guidelines: Buy durable products instead of those that are disposable or cheaply made. Repair/restore used items before replacing them. Buy items you can re-use. Re-using margarine tubs or containers to freeze foods or pack lunches, for instance, reduces the need for foil or plastic wrap. Buy items you can recycle locally through the roving neighborhood buyer or recycling centers. Avoid excess packaging when choosing product brands. Buy just the amount you need: larger sizes reduce the amount of packaging, but smaller sizes reduce leftover waste. Avoid impulse buying. Not only will you end up with something you cannot use and have to throw away, but it will also be very expensive. One way to avoid this is to make a shopping list of what you need, then stick to that list. Waste reduction comes before recycling. Recycling is collecting and remanufacturing materials already used. Waste reduction is decreasing or eliminating the amount of materials already used. If you start out -- before making a purchase -- by considering what your needs are, and cutting waste to begin with, you are practicing waste reduction.
Why is this so important? Well, by stopping to think before you shop, you can keep products and packaging out of the landfill and conserve our natural resources. What could be simpler than that? Many of us are increasingly realizing the seriousness and urgency of environmental issues. But that is where it often stops - at awareness. Some still feel that these are issues which are too complex to be tackled by anyone other than the government, or scientific institutions.
After a year of involvement in this advocacy, it seems like nothing much has changed… we still have floods in many areas of the city even with just a few hours of rain. Our city officials are still dragging their feet in addressing the flooding and garbage problems of our city. We need to let those with the resources and power know that we will not accept lame excuses for their negligence and failures. We must let our voices be heard once again It is time to wash away our indifference by making the needed changes in our lifestyles. Because this is not just for us, but for our children’s children. And we need to act now before it is too late.
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