The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has turned over 100 yellow trash bins to the municipalities of Binangonan and Angono in Rizal province to ensure the proper segregation and disposal of household health care wastes such as used face masks.

DENR Undersecretary for Enforcement, Solid Waste Management and Local Government Units Concerns (LGUs) and Attached Agencies Benito Antonio T. de Leon handed over 50 trash bins to  Binangonan Mayor Cesar Martin Ynares and another 50 to Angono Mayor Jeri Mae Calderon  in simple turnover rites at their respective offices on March 7.

“As former Secretary Roy A. Cimatu manifested, and as pursued by our new Secretary Jim O. Sampulna, we need to proceed in the direction of behavioral change,” de Leon said.

He also commended the efforts of the two local executives for implementing the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) Resolution No. 1364 series of 2020 on the “Adopting the Interim Guidelines on the Management of COVID-19 Related Health Care Waste” issued in April 2020.

The guidelines cover the proper handling and management of all COVID-related health care wastes generated by households and other facilities.

De Leon, who is also the NSWMC alternate chair, said the donation “goes a long way in equipping LGUs to mainstream sound solid waste management practices in their governance as public servants however small the donation may be and in the face of the huge challenges in changing people’s attitude and behavior towards wastes, particularly at the household level.”

Meanwhile, Ynares said the donation was timely as it will help sustain the downward trend in COVID-19 positive cases in Binangonan.

Calderon also welcomed DENR’s support to their efforts to implement Angono’s solid waste management activities which, she said, was fine-tuned to address the increase in the volume of healthcare wastes generated during the pandemic. ###