Encouraging Students To Save The Environment Through National Eco-Savers Program

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Department of Education (DepEd), and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) have launched the National Eco-savers Program (NEP) to encourage students to manage their waste by sorting and minimizing the generation of garbage in their homes through some form of incentive. They will get something useful, such as school supplies or cash, in exchange for recyclables they turn in or donate to their schools. The recyclables will then be pooled for final collection by accredited junk shops or recyclers.

The program will initially be implemented in 763 public elementary and high schools in the National Capital Region (NCR), concerning some 1.9 million students. The program also enjoins schools to make their own compost from biodegradable wastes, which could then be used as a fertilizer for seedling produced and nurtured under the National Greening Program (NGP).

The DENR has committed a R50-million funding for the initial implementation of the project in Metro Manila, where garbage generation stands at 8,000 tons per day. Of this total, half is composed of food and other organics, a fourth is composed of plastic materials, while 12 percent is paper. The balance consists of metals (5%), glass (3%), special and hazardous waste (1%), and residuals (4%).

- mb.com.ph