DENR tells LGUs: Where there are tourists, there’s garbage

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) had a recommended summer activity for local government units (LGUs) in areas where tourists were expected to flock for their vacation—do not be a Boracay and keep garbage in check.

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said in a statement, local officials should “amplify their measures in managing wastes, particularly in tourism sites.”

“We expect an increased volume of garbage with the arrival of tourists this summer season,” he said.

“We do not want the same situation in Boracay Island to happen in other vacation sites,” said the DENR chief.

Local government units, he said, should strictly enforce segregation of garbage and rules requiring tourists to throw wastes only in trash bins.

“LGUs should be keen in monitoring waste issues,” Cimatu said.

Some of the steps that LGUs should take is putting out more segregated trash bins in tourist areas, he said. —Jaymee T. Gamil