Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Tuesday has called on the residents to practice proper waste management as the city government continues to collect waste in the city’s waterways.

Based on the report of the City’s Task Force on Solid Waste Management (TFSWM), from January to April 2021, the city has collected over 810,000 kilos of garbage from the 20 creeks traversing the city.

“We have been able to implement major improvements to our city’s waste management system, even during this pandemic. Let us continue to support this effort. Isa pa, huwag po natin payagan ang pagtatapon ng kahit anung dumi o basura sa ating mga waterways.” Mayor Belmonte said.

Mayor Belmonte also stressed that proper waste management also serves as a preemptive measure to prevent flooding with the onset of the rainy season. Clogged drainage lines and obstructed waterways often result in unexpected flooding in various roads and barangays in the city as rainwater from a heavy downpour cannot pass freely and quickly to larger bodies of water.

“Simula pa lang ay sinisigurado na ng lungsod at ng mga barangay na nase-segregate nang maayos ang ating mga basura. Success stories such as those being implemented in Bgy Lagro, Bgy Blue Ridge A and B as well as many other barangays in our city demonstrate how well our system can work. Magtulungan po tayo para mas maayos nating ma-implement ang tamang waste management,” Mayor Belmonte explained.

The TFSWM and the City Engineering Department have been regularly conducting cleanup and dredging activities respectively to declog the city’s creeks and rivers.

According to TFSWM Action Officer Richard Santuile, the city’s waterway cleanup activities are also part of the city’s compliance with the ongoing Supreme Court Mandamus on the Manila Bay Rehabilitation. “We started our cleanup activities in January this year and this will continue throughout the year,” Santuile said.

In relation to this, the city is also part of the San Juan River rehabilitation project, which also serves as a complementary effort to the Manila Bay mandamus.

Aside from waste collection and clean up drives, TFSWM has launched its house-to-house recyclables trading in communities and in-partnership with local junkshops, originally as part of the Task Force’s various activities for Earth Day 2021. Due to the overwhelming response of the communities where it has conducted this trading activity, plans are being finalized to turn this into a year-long activity as many barangays and subdivisions have reached out to the TFSWM for their own trading schedule.

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