Don’t leave trash behind, ‘zombasura’ warned

Weeks ahead of the annual commemoration of the dead on November 2, or All Souls Day, an environmental group has warned people who will be visiting their departed loved ones in cemeteries and memorial parks not to leave their trash behind.

The Eco-Waste Coalition, a group advocating waste prevention and reduction, likewise sought the strict implementation of the antilittering law against people they describe as “zombasura.”

“Zombasura,” a term coined by the group, combines the words “zombie” and “basura (garbage)” to describe litterbugs who dump trash inside cemeteries.

In a statement, Eco-Waste Coalition board member Romy Hidalgo said: “The festive occasion is not an excuse for litterbugs to dirty and defile the cemeteries and convert them from burial to dumping grounds.”

A cemetery, being hallowed ground, deserves utmost respect, he added.

The Eco-Waste Coalition likewise urged the government to strictly implement Republic Act No. 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, which penalizes litterbugs with a fine ranging from P300 to P1,000, or doing community service at the local government unit where the act was committed.

So-called “epal” politicians were not spared by the environmental group, which told them to refrain from putting up banners and streamers inside the cemeteries.

The group instead offered a proposal for politicians to pool their resources and provide segregated waste bins, potable water, clean toilets, and first-aid services inside the cemeteries.

Hidalgo pointed out that politicians could also engage the services of personnel to act as antilittering enforcers and street sweepers in the cemeteries and nearby barangays (villages).