EcoWaste Coalition Pushes for Zero Waste to Clean the Air, Combat Climate Change

As climate change transforms the course of our lives, we must all strive to find and carry out real solutions that will help stabilize the climate and re-establish ecological health and balance across the globe.

In line with this, the EcoWaste Coalition, an environmental network of over 150 groups, called upon the government, the industry and the general public to actively support waste prevention and reduction and other Zero Waste practices.

The group specifically appealed to everyone to uphold the ban on open dumping, open burning and waste incineration as embodied in two major environmental laws of the land: the Clean Air Act of 1999 and the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

Coinciding with the observance on Sunday of the ‘Clean Air? Pwede!” multisectoral advocacy to curb air pollution, the EcoWaste Coalition presented an eight-point proposal that will help cut human consumption of fossil fuels, which is fueling global warming and climate change, to wit:

1.Save energy. 2.Conserve water. 3. Travel wisely. 4. Buy less, shop responsibly, shun plastic bags. 5. Do not dump and burn discards. 6. Reduce waste volume: reuse, repair, recycle, compost. 7. Keep biodegradable discards away from dumpsites and landfills. 8. Reduce toxicity of garbage: choose eco-friendly, non-toxic products.

“As advocates for a Zero Waste society, we encourage everyone to think of more eco-friendly lifestyle choices and put these into practice every day to help Mother Earth in its much needed recuperation from degradation and destruction,” said Edwin Alejo, Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition.

The EcoWaste Coalition specifically appealed to the government to prohibit the disposal of organic wastes in dumps and landfills to minimize the production of gaseous methane which contributes to worsening climate conditions.

“Instead of throwing these biodegradable wastes in dumpsites or landfills, we can make good use of them as compost or organic soil supplements to do away with chemical fertilizers and toxic pesticides that leak out into the soil and contaminate groundwater,” Alejo explained.

“Recycling is a viable step for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from unbridled consumption and disposal. Promoting it will conserve vital resources and also ensure livelihood for the poor,” he added.

As waste disposal technologies like incinerators and landfills guised as “green processes” proliferate, Zero Waste strategies provide the simplest means to cut greenhouse gas emissions, while conserving precious resources and generating sustainable recycling jobs, the EcoWaste Coalition said.

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