Lesser trash collected in Sinulog 2020

A pile of garbage, composed mostly of plastic water bottles, is seen at the roadside along General Maxilom Avenue in Cebu City during the Sinulog 2020 celebration on January 19, 2020. CDN Digital photo | Norman Mendoza

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The trash collected after this year’s Sinulog Festival is lesser compared to last year’s festivities, according to lawyer Jigo Dacua, head of the Cebu City Government’s Department of Public Services (DPS).

Dacua told Cebu Daily News Digital in a phone interview that the city collected around 131 tons of garbage on Sunday, January 19, 2020, after the celebration that attracted around 2 million people.

“All in all, we collected garbage 130.86 tons of garbage both from the parade routes and regular roads,” Dacua said.

The figures for this year is 79 tons lesser compared to last year, which reached to 210.7 tons.

Trash scattered at the roadside curb along Osmeña Boulevard in Cebu City after the Sinulog 2020 celebration on January 19, 2020. CDN Digital photo | Morexette Marie Erram

Dacua said the decrease in the Sinulog waste in Cebu City could be attributed to the fact that around 90 percent of the trash gathered were composed of plastic water bottles, all of which were squashed and therefore lighter than other refuse materials.

“Maybe around 90 percent of the garbage we collected are actually plastic water bottles,” he added.

A decrease in the garbage collected in Cebu City after the Sinulog Festivities has been a trend since 2018.

Records from DPS showed that in 2018, 219 tons of trash were collected. In 2019, the volume decreased to 210 tons.

The DPS head said large volumes of trash were observed in the parade routes – in General Maxilom Avenue, Fuente Osmeña Circle, and Osmeña Boulevard – where yesterday’s crowd was thicker than any other parts of the city.

He also said the city government deployed around 600 workers, and all 30 garbage trucks to sweep the streets from trash after the Sinulog festivities.

Trash is packed in garbage bags along Gorordo Avenue in Cebu City after the Sinulog 2020 celebration on January 19, 2020. CDN Digital photo | Gresheen Gift Libby

“We started cleaning around 8 p.m. on Sunday. The standing order of the mayor (Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella) was that the city’s streets shall be clean from trash before 5 a.m. Fortunately, we have swept all areas before the 5 a.m. deadline,” Dacua added in Cebuano.

Meanwhile, Dacua said they are eyeing to put more trash bins near the parade routes if it meant decreasing the volume of trash being littered.

“We have to put more bins so that the public will start learning to throw their trash properly. If they see a nearby trash bin, that will enable them to throw their garbage properly,” he added. /bmjo