Students, schools compete to collect plastics for reuse, recycling

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MANILA, Philippines — To further encourage reusing and recycling plastic, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will launch a plastic collection competition for students on Earth Day, April 22.

Students from various schools and universities who are part of the Boy Scouts of Philippines and Girl Scouts of the Philippines can bring their collected plastics to participating malls in different parts of the country. The class with the highest volume of plastic items will receive a prize. Participants will be scored based on the type of plastic they submit.

“The Earth Day Every Day Project advocates the promotion of feasible methods to reduce waste and foster a culture of sustainability among the youth and communities, and motivates participation through incentives,” Environment Secretary Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga said in a statement on Saturday.

“For this, we thank Nestle, SM Supermalls, and the Boy and Girl Scouts of the Philippines for their invaluable support and collaboration. Their robust presence and proactive engagement will serve as a multiplier effect in our advocacy efforts,” Yulo-Loyzaga said.

Collection sites

According to the DENR, participating scouts may bring the plastics they have collected to designated SM mall collection facilities in the cities of Pasay, Marikina, Pasig, Manila, and Quezon City for the National Capital Region; and in Bulacan, Pampanga, Cavite, Cebu and Davao.

The competition is part of the DENR’s efforts to combat plastic pollution and advocate a circular economy where all plastic applications are reused, recycled and responsibly managed during and after use.

A monthly prize will also be given to the class with the highest weight of plastics submitted, and an end-of-the-year prize to the school with the most accumulated points.

The 2021 report of the World Bank Organization, on the other hand, found that the Philippines generated 2.7 million tons of plastic waste every year. About 20 percent of these, which are mostly single-use plastics, end up in the ocean. —JACOB LAZARO