More than 124 tons of garbage were collected by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) during a recent clean-up drive in critical water bodies in Bataan, Bulacan and Pampanga.
In a Facebook post, DENR-Central Luzon executive director Paquito Moreno, Jr. said 125 floating trash traps were strategically installed in rivers and streams to reduce the volume of solid wastes directly flowing to the greater portion of the Manila Bay.
"In addition to our cleanup efforts, we heighten our efforts to curb wastes and floating debris in our local waterways by putting up these recyclable trash traps," said Moreno.
The trash trapping initiative aims to reduce the volume of plastic wastes in water bodies apart from curbing single-used plastics, candy wrappers, containers, and other pollutants from entering waterways and flowing downstream.
The DENR has assured the public that this sustainable waste management efforts of putting up trash traps in local waterways does not hamper the movement of fishes and other aquatic species, it instead protects physical habitats and coastal and marine ecosystems from being polluted.
Since the Manila Bay rehabilitation program started on January 2019, more than 4,300 tons of biodegradable, residual, recyclable, and hazardous wastes have been collected in Central Luzon.