EcoWaste Coalition offers 15 tips in cleaning schools for ‘Brigada Eskwela’

Parents join teachers in cleaning classrooms during the launch of Brigada Eskwela. JUNJIE MENDOZA/CEBU DAILY NEWS

MANILA, Philippines — Environmental organization EcoWaste Coalition offers 15 tips in cleaning schools for the yearly “Brigada Eskwela” activities.

EcoWaste said “Brigada Eskwela,” which starts on May 20, should make sure that repair and renovation activities of schools are done in an “eco-friendly manner.”

Here are 15 tips given by the EcoWaste Coalition to guide “Brigada Eskwela” participants:

1. Observe the proper segregation of discards at source to facilitate their recycling or composting, and to minimize the volume of garbage for disposal.

2. Do not set trash on fire to prevent the generation of environmental pollutants such as fine particles, heavy metals and dioxins.

3. Compost biodegradable discards such as yard trimmings to produce natural fertilizer or soil enhancer for the school garden.

4. Clean up the school’s Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), also known as Ecology Center, including the containers or segregators for properly-labeled recyclable and compostable discards.

5. Handle busted fluorescent lamps with care to prevent mercury spill; do not mix such lamps with ordinary trash, and properly store and dispose of them as hazardous waste.

6. Choose safer cleaning agents and refrain from using hazardous substances that are corrosive to the eyes, skin and respiratory tract such as oxalic and muriatic acid.

7. Use only certified lead-safe paints for school interiors, exteriors, furniture and fixtures, gymnasium, play equipment and other school amenities.

8. Keep children and pregnant women out of the work area (lead is very hazardous to fetal development).

9. Refrain from dry sanding or dry scraping painted surfaces that might contain lead so as not to disperse lead dust into the surroundings.

10. Clean up paint chips immediately.

11. Use a moist mop or rag to rid floors, windows, window frames and sills, chairs and tables and other surfaces of dust, and wash it thoroughly after use.

12. Wash hands properly with soap and water before meals and after the work is done.

13. After a repainting job, change clothes before going home, set aside in a sealed reusable bag and wash separately.

14. Clean or remove shoes and slippers before entering your home to avoid bringing in soil that may contain lead into the house.

15. Keep the school premises smoke-free by not smoking or vaping.

Poll winners, losers should help

Meanwhile, EcoWaste also asked both winners and losers in the May midterm elections to extend help during the “Brigada Eskwela” to serve the public.

“In lieu of post-election ‘thank you’ tarpaulins, we invite well-meaning politicians to join, without fanfare, school cleanup activities or donate ‘Brigada Eskwela’ essentials such as brooms and broomsticks, dust pans, rags, soaps, buckets, non-mercury LED lamps, and lead-safe paints,” Thony Dizon, EcoWaste Coalition’s chemical safety campaigner, said in a statement.

EcoWaste also lauded the Department of Education’s (DepEd) annual activity which showed timeless Filipino “bayanihan” spirit.

“We laud the yearly conduct of the DepEd-led ‘Brigada Eskwela,’ which is an excellent expression of the timeless Filipino bayanihan spirit,” Dizon said.   (Editor: Mike U. Frialde)