Ilocos town’s ‘no collection, no segregation’ of waste policy brings regional award

San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte — The “no collection, no segregation waste management policy” started in 2011 and has earned for this town the tag of being the cleanest, safest and greenest town in the province and the region under the first to third class town category. The program requires residents and business establishments to segregate their wastes in three kinds – biodegradable (nabubulok); non-biodegradable (hindi nabubulok) and recyclable before the collection schedule. Garbage collectors go around the 24 villages to collect garbage at least thrice a week with the biodegradable wastes brought to the composting facility to be converted as organic fertilizers while the non-biodegradable materials and recyclable wastes are placed in a controlled dumpsite. The practice was institutionalized by Mayor Alfredo Valdez Jr. in 2011 and was later covered by an ordinance that penalizes non-complying residents and business establishments. For businesses, license to operate are either suspended or revoked [...]