In observance of the International Clean up Month, the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau – Watershed and Water Resources Research, Development, and Extension Center (ERDB – WWRRDEC) volunteered for a Simultaneous Cleanup Drive on September 15, 2023 in Baguio City.

Joining hand in hand for cleaner waterways, around 50 volunteers from various agencies namely DENR–CAR, EMB-CAR, MGB–CAR, Baguio Water District, DA–CAR, DA–RFO–CAR, PEZA, NCIP–CAR, DILG–CAR, and DOTr–CAR, collected various types of solid wastes along areas of Barangays Pacdal, Liteng, and Gibraltar, Baguio City. The WWRRDEC team were able to collect 5 sacks of trash accounting to an estimate weight of 13 kilograms. Based on their filled-out trash collection form, most of the recorded and collected trash in the assigned stretch of clean up area are wrappers of food items such as candies, chips, among others. Other collected wastes include cigarette butts, plastic and glass bottles, construction materials, and other types of plastics.

The cleanup initiative aimed to reduce the amount of waste in aquatic environments such as creeks, canals, and other parts of river systems including its surrounding communities. Through this effort, residual and recyclable waste would be prevented from reaching coastal areas, where it can inflict additional harm on marine ecosystems.

The activity was organized by the Environmental Management Bureau – Cordillera Administrative Region (EMB – CAR) in observance of the International Coastal Cleanup Month which is annually celebrated every September. Likewise, the clean-up drive is in line with this year’s theme “Clean Seas for Healthy Fisheries: Sustainably Feed the Global Population”. WPM-WWRRDEC

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