Legarda tells Filipinos: Be frugal and eco-friendly in celebrating Yuletide season

As millions of Filipinos celebrate the holiday season organizing and attending numerous parties and holiday events, Senator Loren Legarda has urged everyone to be mindful of the environment.

Legarda said that enjoying the season does not entail sacrificing the environment through tons of trash if celebrations are made frugal and eco-friendly.

"Every holiday season, from the abundance of gifts and food we exchange, we also generate heaps of trash from leftovers, gift wrappers, containers and utensils. At a time when our environment has become more fragile, as we feel in the impacts of climate change, it is best if we practice being thrifty and eco-friendly," she said.

"We should refrain from preparing an excessive amount of food or getting more than what we can consume to avoid wastage. Instead of using disposable food ware we can just use our washable plates and regular cutlery. We can also recycle the wrappers, boxes and ribbons from gifts that we receive. These are just simple acts, which if we practice would be a great gift to Mother Earth," she added.

Legarda also supported the EcoWaste Coalition's call to use banana leaves on bamboo woven plates instead of polystyrene plastic (Styrofoam) to reduce plastic trash.

The Senator noted the group's waste audit of Manila Bay last November 28 which showed that 75.55% of the trash collected in the area was composed of plastic discards, 20.47% of which are polystyrene plastic.

Data from the National Solid Waste Management Commission also showed that an individual generates about 0.7 kilo of garbage on an average day, but it increases up to 1.2 kilos during the holiday season.

"There's nothing wrong with enjoying the season through grand celebrations, but if we want to enjoy our future holidays, too, we have to be mindful of the effects of our actions. In the end, what happens to our environment will ultimately affect us, too," Legarda stressed.

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