By Marie Tonette Grace Marticio Arteche, Eastern Samar – The town government has stepped up its campaign for a clean and healthy environment by launching a program that encourages schoolchildren to exchange trash and plastic bottles for school supplies. The initiative dubbed as Plastic Palit Lapis Program 2018, aims “to reduce the use of plastics and teach the children how to dispose their garbage properly, at the same time, defray the expenses of parents in buying school supplies for them,” Mayor Roland Evardone told Manila Bulletin. “Instead of throwing plastics and candy wrappers anywhere, the children will be encouraged to take their trash from home and deposit them in plastic bottles, just like a a piggy bank, because they can give it to us in exchange of school supplies,” Evardone said. The program will not only be carried out when there are classes, but will continue as long as there are students who want to swap trash for school supplies such as pens, pencils, erasers, crayons, slippers and schoolbags, Evardone said. Personnel from the town government will go around barangays so residents need not bring their plastic bottles to the town hall. Arteche already has another project to reduce plastic waste. Youths who want to join the Laro Para sa Kalikasan sports event are asked to turn in a plastic bottle instead of paying a cash registration fee. There is also an Alcohol Free, Smoke Free and Garbage Free Wet and Wild Party and a 30-minute monthly clean up for LGU employees.