RECYCLED BUILDING BLOCKS. A materials recovery facility in Arteche, Eastern Samar built out of plastic bricks. The local government is stepping up its anti-plastic campaign by banning single-use plastics within the municipal hall premises and local government events. (PNA photo by Roel Amazona)
TACLOBAN CITY -- The town of Arteche, Eastern Samar has banned single-use plastics within the premises of the municipal hall and during events of the local government unit (LGU) as part of its environment-friendly initiatives.
Arteche Mayor Roland Boie Evardone signed on Thursday Executive Order No. 5 series of 2019 mandating all employees and personnel of the local government to refrain from using single-use plastics, such as plastic bags, straw, disposable cups, plates, utensils, and styrofoam.
Employees are encouraged to bring their own utensils, food canister, and cups that are washable and reusable.
The directive, Evardone said, also covers caterers that provide services during local government activities.
“We will start first with the municipal hall. We will test the ground first and if the implementation is successful in the LGU, we will expand the executive order to the public market, rural health unit, and to the communities,” Evardone said in a phone interview.
Arteche has been known for eco-friendly initiatives such as its two-year plastic recycling program that has already produced over 21,000 eco-bricks made out of plastics.
Evardone said collecting plastics has become a culture of every student in their town.
An eco-brick is a plastic bottle packed with plastic waste to a set density. It creates reusable building blocks to make modular furniture, garden spaces and full-scale buildings such as schools and houses.
The total number of eco-bricks is equivalent to more than 5,000 kilograms of plastics collected and recycled into another product beneficial to the town’s residents.
The program, launched in 2018, is the local government's counterpart in the campaign for a clean and healthy environment.
The initiative has allowed children to participate through exchanging trash collected inside a plastic bottle with school supplies. (PNA)
