Keep cemeteries clean, bishop urges
Don’t be a zombasura (litterbug) this All Souls’ Day.
Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez and the EcoWaste Coalition Saturday appealed to the public “not to thrash the cemeteries” when they visit their departed loved ones on All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day.
In a joint appeal, Iñiguez and the EcoWaste Coalition called “for a simple and waste-free commemoration” of Undas to help the country deal with its garbage problems.
“I exhort everyone to keep our cemeteries safe and clean,” said Iñiguez, who heads the Public Affairs Committee of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
“Please don’t leave any trash behind. With public cooperation, we can turn the tide on trash and make Undas a pleasant occasion for all, especially for Mother Nature,” he pleaded.
Roy Alvarez, president of the EcoWaste Coalition, urged cemetery visitors to avoid being zombasuras or litterbugs.
“Please do not be a zombasura,” the cemetery litterbug. Place your discards into their proper bins. If there are no bins available, please bring them home for reusing, recycling or composting,” Alvarez said.
“Let us treat the cemeteries with due respect and refrain from turning these sanctified sites into giant garbage bins,” he added.
Alvarez urged the public to be mindful of the 3Rs (Respect, Reduce, Refuse) to commemorate an “earth-friendly Undas.”
“Respect the dead and the living by not leaving any litter in the cemetery and surrounding area. Reduce what you bring to the cemetery to just the bare essentials and cut down on stuff used and discarded,” Alvarez said.
“Refuse habits and practices that tend to pollute the occasion: Smoking in the cemetery, dumping and burning of trash, consumption of disposable, one-time use plastic bags and containers, (and) extreme noise from radio and music,” he added.
The EcoWaste Coalition also urged the public to consider selecting “plain, clean-burning and minimally packed candles.”
“Light just one or two candles to minimize heat and pollution in cemeteries that are crowded with people, young and old. It’s the thought that really matters, not the number, size, scent, packaging and price of candles offered in fond remembrance of our dearly departed,” the group said.
It said cemetery visitors could also pick locally grown fresh flowers and “abstain from wrapping them in plastic that will soon become an unwanted litter.”
“Just bring enough, not easily perishable food items to avoid spoilage and poisoning. To reduce plastic bottle consumption, come to the cemetery with your own water jug. Refrain from bringing single-use, throw-away plastic bags, plates, cups and cutlery,” the group said.
