The whole month of January is also known as Zero Waste Month, as mandated by Presidential Proclamation no 760, dated May 5, 2014. Zero waste is defined as an advocacy that promotes the designing and managing of products and processes to avoid and eliminate the volume and toxicity of waste and materials. It is also defined as a goal that is ethical, economical, efficient and visionary to guide people in having a resourceful lifestyle, in which discarded materials can be re-designed as resources for others to use. Zero Waste Month is also pursuant to Republic Act (RA) 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
In this regard, the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (EMB-DENR), as the National Solid Waste Management Commission Secretariat (NSWMC/S) with the assistance of Zero Waste International Conference, Mother Earth foundation and ArtisteSpace has lined up a series of activities from January 26 to 29, 2017, to celebrate not only Zero Waste Month, but also the 17th Anniversary of the signing of RA 9003. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Engaging Response to the Changing Environment”. This year’s celebration highlights the roles of LGUs and civil society in realizing the objectives of the Act.
Other activities include photo exhibits and lecture series on solid waste management from various partners in the private sector, LGUs, non-government organizations (NGOs), academe, and others which play key roles in the implementation of RA 9003. Their initiatives, best practices and advocacy programs will also be showcased.
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