NEWS | Four-day waste segregation seminar launches at PSHS-BRC
by Jamille Kyla Bragais & Kian Gabrielle Cabral
A four-day waste management orientation led by Pollution Control Officer Maria Feliciana Benita Eloreta and selected Grade 12 students was held from September 30 to October 3 at the Philippine Science High School–Bicol Region Campus (PSHS-BRC) auditorium.
According to Eloreta, the seminars aimed to instill discipline in the student body through hands-on activities, and mainly targeted the grade seven students who were still new to the school’s waste segregation system.
Through the activity, grades seven to eight students were tasked with segregating garbage gathered around the campus–which grade seven student Ian Louie Samar claimed was informative and enjoyable due to Eloreta’s effective and powerful voice.
Meanwhile, grades nine to ten students answered a quiz whose top scorers were awarded prizes, and the grades 11 to 12 students witnessed a demonstration of the proper ways of disposing of plastic cups and meal boxes — which require compression and separate disposal of leftovers and straws or utensils.
The students were also introduced to specialized waste containers made of steel bars designed by Grade 12 student Marisse Despabiladeras for disposal of plastic cups, and the upcoming campus-wide plastic straw ban that will encourage students to bring their personal metal or bamboo straws.
The need for initiatives to counter improper waste segregation is supported by utility worker Riza Gacer, who claimed that the student body is not collectively practicing proper waste management.
Gacer admitted that this malpractice adds to her workload and reminded the students to be aware of disposal procedures–such as wrapping sanitary napkins with paper and throwing the contents of plastic cups before disposing.
On the other hand, Grade 11 student Gianne Naceno commented that improper waste segregation can be rooted in the unavailability of all bin colors in school facilities such as the Academic III Building.
“If the absence of the correct bin colors continues, improper waste segregation will continue. No matter how many seminars I or the student body attend, this issue will remain due to the lack of appropriate bins,” Naceno said.
Eloreta affirmed in an interview that more trash bins will be procured to further promote proper waste management, and added that the current solution is labeling bins irrelevant to color and encouraging students to bring bins for their use in dormitories or classrooms.
Eloreta also emphasized the need for waste management seminars even in grades 11 to 12 students as its objectives center on learning, relearning, and practicing garbage segregation.
“It’s all about the initiative. If the scholars are really committed to upholding the tenets of segregation then they will do so. Not only will they contribute to proper waste management but also, they will be an example for their families to follow,” Eloreta stated.
The solid waste management efforts of PSHS-BRC are legally required under Section 21 of the Republic Act №9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
