Did you know that January is NATIONAL ZERO WASTE MONTH? It was declared by Proclamation No. 760 signed by former President Benigno Aquino III in 2014. It aims to promote environmental awareness and action among Filipinos, as well as to influence a change in lifestyle and practices leading towards a greener living!
It’s human nature to want to set goals at the start of something new, such as the new year. How about giving a zero-waste lifestyle a try this 2021?
The term “zero waste” might seem daunting at first, but don’t stress! Simple awareness and consciousness of the amount of waste being generated is a good first step!
As of 2015, plastic waste leaking from land to ocean includes 17.6 BILLION shopping bags per year and 3 million used diapers per day. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FOA) of the United Nations, approximately 1.3 BILLION tons of food produced in the world for human consumption is lost or wasted!
In the Philippines alone, 14.66 MILLION tons of solid waste is generated PER YEAR! On a daily basis, about 2,175 tons of food scraps end in trash bins in Metro Manila.
An important detail to note here is that these wastes are IMPROPERLY DISPOSED! It is extremely important to be aware of the amount of waste improperly thrown away and its negative effects on the environment such as soil contamination, water contamination, air pollution, climate change, harm to marine life, and damage to human health.
Developing consciousness towards waste production and management will greatly help us start living zero-waste. Through a short series of articles this January, we hope to give helpful tips in beginning a zero-waste lifestyle!
But for now, we highly encourage that you allow yourself to be more conscious of the waste you generate in your own homes: plastic packaging from food deliveries, food scraps from meal preparations, boxes and plastics from parcel deliveries, and so on. Being mindful of what your trash bins consist of can help you decide WHAT TO AVOID, thus letting you shift to reusable materials and lessen your buying or consuming of single-use materials, leading to less waste produced!