Trash Talks

Every time I go to school, I always pass upon these 3 big trashcans where the people pile their garbage up for the dumpster to take it. I still remember seeing those overflowing garbage, degradable and non-degradable trash squeezing altogether, creating sticky fluids dripping from the trashcans that stenches and will hurt your head. I still hear the loud buzzing of the large flies with big eyes as if they are judging me, thanking me for that garbage. The air around those trashcans is thick with decay, and you can feel its heavy sticky air attaching to you when it blows your way. The time I reach the school, my senses are already tired and overwhelmed. Since then, I always try to stay away as possible to those trashcans when passing them.

I’m sure all people do that, being a ninja when avoiding something or someone. In my case I was avoiding the garbage. But I can’t avoid it forever. I was curious what our municipality was doing about it. It seems like that garbage just pile up even more and more, its smell growing worse and worse from day to day. Why aren’t they collecting it already? It’s so natural for the people to pick on the government first. I didn’t even question what the people are doing about it that time, cause in our house I know we separate our garbage and just bury the degradable ones. But I know people from our community aren’t doing their part as well. They aren’t segregating their trash and just expect the collectors of the dumpsters to sort it out themselves.

Our municipality in Camalig admits that they can sometimes be delay in collecting our trash due to the insufficiency of dumpster trucks and the 10 hectare land composting since 1998 being reconstructed. It all falls in the budget of course. I can see them trying, reaching out to the community, conducting social counselling. That’s why as a part of this community, we can at least do our part in helping our government take action. Help them, help us. Thus, No Segregation. No, Collection was created in compliance with Republic Act No. 9003 or Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

RA 9003 which took effect in 2001 requires all local government units (LGUs) across the country to come up with localized programs to address the country's problem with solid waste management and one strategy is segregation of biodegradable from non-biodegradable garbage at its source before it is collected for dumping.

Residents are now urged to educate themselves and the members of the household of the rudiments of waste segregation. It enforces discipline among us which is what we need. It doesn’t collect anymore garbage when homeowners don’t segregate it. When was the last time you did something for your community? Doing something to our community means doing something for ourselves. Segregating garbage isn’t going to kill us but not segregating it will do. Here's the dirty truth, despite being into segregating waste, some people are still too stubborn to separate their garbage. Majority are in favor of this ordinance but for those who aren't, they can wait for their garbage to rot on their backyard until the smell corrupts their house and sickness thrives within their homes. Your actions must be your consequences, but somehow, one’s choice affects others.

Let us act now. As the saying goes; "better late than never". For each garbage we neglect has dirty ways in coming back to us. Trash talks after all.