Nanawagansa sa publiko ang Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) hinggil sa tamang pagtatapon ng mga gamit na face mask upang maiwasan ang panganib ng coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission habang patuloy na umiiral ang pandemya.
“Protection against COVID-19 goes beyond following the minimum health protocols and the use of face masks and face shields. Our responsibility extends to the disposal of these healthcare items which are potentially contaminated,” ayon kay DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu.
Sa isang press statement binigyang-din ng DENR chief ang kahalagahan ng responsableng pagtatapon ng COVID-19 litter lalo na ang gamit na disposable face masks dahil sa panganib na idinudulot nito sa terrestrial and aquatic animals.
“We have seen that while face masks protect us, these have become the newest threat to animal life because of entanglement, and have added up to marine litter,” ani Cimatu .
Samantala, sinabi naman ni DENR Undersecretary for Solid Waste Management (SWM) and Local Government Units (LGU) Concerns Benny D. Antiporda, isang COVID survivor, na mahalaga ang pakikibahagi ng bawat pamilya sa tamang paghihiwalay ng gamit na face masks sa ibang solid wastes.
"We never thought that these healthcare wastes will end up at our doorsteps. Before, these items are just found in operating rooms of hospitals. So, let’s put our used face masks in a separate container and properly label it as household healthcare wastes, even specifically indicating it as face masks," saad ni Antiporda sa isang radio program noong isang linggo.
Ayon pa kay Antiporda, pinaalalahanan na nila ang LGUs na ihiwalay ang medical wastes sa paghakot pa lamang para sa proper treatment ng mga ito sa sanitary landfills.
Sa naturang programa, muli din nitong hiniling sa publiko na itigil ang paggamit ng single-use-plastics.
“Coffee stirrers can be replaced with biodegradable alternatives such as popsicle sticks. On the other hand, softdrinks are already in plastic bottles, so why use plastic straws? You’re only adding insult to injury," dagdag pa ni Antiporda.
Sinabi pa ng opisyal na ang plastic coffee stirrers at plastic softdrink straws ay idineklarang non-environmentally acceptable products ng National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) noong Pebrero 2021.
"I call on the businessmen producing these two plastic items to divert to other products much more necessary to the public instead," apela ni Antiporda na siya ring alternate chair ng NSWMC.
"There is some resistance from other government agencies but we will abide by the call of the President to ban unnecessary, single-use plastics," aniya. —Boy Celario/LBG, GMA News
