Filipinos seem to have this nasty habit of throwing their trash into the wrong places— just look at Balingasa Creek in Quezon City, from where 600 sacks of trash were collected by the local government’s Riverways Clearing Operations Group.
Read: Baguio City hiking trail closed indefinitely after tourists dump trash, destroy plants
In an interview today with ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo, the group’s leader Teresita Agustin said that they have been cleaning the creek every day for the past two weeks, but it remains clogged with rubbish, such as styrofoam, plastic, and food waste.
Read: Study shows Filipinos dispose 3 million diapers and 163 million sachets daily
Agustin estimated that it would take a month before the creek, which runs near Balintawak Market, becomes completely clean. Agustin reminded residents living near the creek not to throw their garbage into the water.
The Philippines is the world’s third-biggest polluter, after China and Indonesia, because of Pinoy consumers’ reliance on buying tingi, products wrapped in small plastic packages that are cheaper than those sold in bulk. In 2019, an environmental group learned that each Filipino uses 591 pieces of sachets and 337 plastic bags each year, while 3 million diapers are thrown daily.
Reader Interactions