Armed with receptacles and hand gloves, AdZU’s Center for Environment & Sustainability (ACES) and NSTP students trooped to the coastal areas of RT Lim Blvd, Paseo del Mar, and AdZU-Lantaka to join the simultaneous International Coastal Clean-Up.
More than just cleaning-up the shorelines, the students also had a sample of executing Waste Characterization–identifying and quantifying the volume of waste thrown into the seas and which drifted into the coastline areas. This resulted in the observation that the bulk of waste were PET bottles, plastic cups, and Polystyrene (styro) containers.
Among the unique items collected were a television set, cellular phone, a plastic pail, and motorcycle tires. At the Paseo del Mar site alone, approximately 50 kilos of non-reusable containers were collected; a reflection on how the people visiting this place practice waste disposal.
Borne of this experience are the following insights and realizations of AdZU’s freshmen students who participated in the coastal clean-up:
“We should be mindful of the things that we do because it can be detrimental to the environment”
“It is our responsibility to care for our environment and to serve our community by reducing the use of plastics, practice segregation and proper disposal of our trash”
“We should apply the values that we have learned not only in school but also outside in our own homes and community. The school is just our training ground when we go out to the real world we should be able to continue the good practices that we do in our schools.”
“Discipline comes from each individual, Self – Discipline coupled with advocacy to raise awareness of the current problem on waste management and pollution will have a ripple effect on the whole community.”
