Environmental network EcoWaste Coalition and Miss Earth beauty queens have called for a waste-free Undas 2024. Photo courtesy of Roche De Lara Bautista / Facebook
MANILA, Philippines — Environmental network EcoWaste Coalition and Miss Earth beauty queens called for a waste-free Undas 2024 at a Tuesday gathering at the Manila North Cemetery.
The group suggested to the public to bring food and drinks in reusable containers, choose locally grown flowers without plastic wrapping, and put trash in proper bins.
EcoWaste Coalition also discouraged burning waste in cleaning tombs, using paint or candles with lead, a toxic metal; and smoking or vaping in cemeteries.
READ: Families, communities clean up tombs, cemeteries for Undas 2024
Miss Earth beauty queens from the Philippines, Argentina, El Salvador, Liberia, Namibia, Nepal, the Netherlands, the Northern Marianas, Slovenia, and the United States joined EcoWaste Coalition’s “Kalinisan sa Huling Hantungan, Igalang ang Kalikasan (Cleanliness at the Final Resting Place, Respect the Environment)” campaign.
“We can make this time-honored tradition more beautiful by showing respect to the dead and the living, and by taking responsibility for our environment,” Miss Philippines Earth Ihram Mel Alfeche said.
Manila’s Office of the Mayor and Department of Public Services, the Manila North Cemetery administration, and the Metro Manila Development Authority also support the initiative.
“As we gather in cemeteries to honor our departed loved ones, let us also remember our collective duty to protect the environment,” EcoWaste Coalition national coordinator Aileen Lucero said.
“Littering and improper waste disposal not only mar the sanctity of these sacred spaces but also contribute to environmental degradation,” she added.
Citing data from the Manila Public Information Office, EcoWaste Coalition said the Manila North and South Cemeteries collected 229 metric tons or 86 truckloads of garbage from October 28 to November 1, 2023.