Villar urges Boracay LGU to implement proper waste management
Donates Waste Shredder and Composter to Process Kitchen or Food Wastes

Senator Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, donated a unit of waste shredder and composter to help implement proper waste management in Boracay and help in the island's recovery from its environmental woes.

According to Villar, trainors from the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) will teach Boracay residents how to use the shredder and composter in processing their kitchen wastes. "Composting is a must in Boracay because the establishments there produce a lot of kitchen or food wastes. So we have to teach the people how to compost them," the senator said.

She added that she has also asked the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) as well as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to give more composters to Boracay. "FPA will give a composter for kitchen wastes also and the DENR give an equipment to process both kitchen and plastic wastes. Those will really help the residents and establishments in dealing with wastes using proper composting and recycling procedures," she added.

Villar is a proponent of solid waste management and composting. She has initiated the establishment of composting centers in barangays in Las Pinas, which do rotary composting at vermicomposting. The city has 75 composters that process kitchen and garden wastes of 40,000 households. The composting centers produce 60 tons of organic fertilizers every month distributed for free to vegetable gardeners in the city and farmers all over the country.

"We hope to strengthen the institutional capacities of LGUs in terms of sorting, collecting and composting their communities' biodegradable as well as plastic wastes. It will really make a difference to the environment by ensuring proper waste disposal and management," Villar said.

Composting lessens the dependence of farmers on commercial fertilizers that cause loss of soil fertility. Organic agriculture keep soil healthy, which is important as 95 percent of people's food comes from the soil.

A unit of Composting Facilities for Biodegradable Wastes (CFBW) can process two tons of biodegradable wastes and can produce 1,000 kilos of organic fertilizer/compost in a span of one month.

Villar further cited that all sectors should pitch in and help in the rehabilitation of Boracay, so the island can solve its environmental problems as soon as possible. "It entails the day-to-day efforts and discipline of the people as well as tourists or visitors. Everyone needs to follow the rules and do everything right from now on if we want to restore the natural beauty of the island."