QUEZON CITY — With the school community gearing up for Brigada Eskwela, an environmental watchdog group offered ecological tips to prevent and reduce pollution during the pre-school cleanup drives.
To ensure cleaner and safer schools, the EcoWaste Coalition prompted principals, teachers, parents, and community members to prioritize pollution prevention as they join hands in sprucing up public schools before classes start.
“Adopting these tips guarantees cleaner, safer school environments by minimizing waste and preventing toxic exposure during Brigada Eskwela and afterward,” said Ochie Tolentino, zero waste campaigner, EcoWaste Coalition.
To prevent and reduce environmental pollutants, the EcoWaste Coalition encouraged Brigada Eskwela stakeholders to consider the following tips:
1. Maximize the use of social media to reach out to the school community. Avoid the use of plastic tarpaulins, which may contain toxic cadmium and/or lead, for Brigada Eskwela and other school announcements. If banners are preferred, opt for coconut or taffeta cloth.
2. Enforce the ban on smoking and vaping in school premises in line with DepEd Order No. 48, series of 2016, DepEd Memorandum No. 111, series of 2019, and other related issuances.
3. Encourage participants to go plastic-free: bring food and water in reusable containers, and refrain from bringing single-use plastics into the school.
4. Obey the ban on open burning and open dumping; abide by the requirements of RA No. 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.
5. Sort, do not mix, discards from cleanup efforts to facilitate their reuse, recycling, or composting, and cut the volume of garbage for disposal.
6. Compost yard trimmings and biodegradable discards in the school composting area to produce natural fertilizer or soil enhancer for the school garden.
7. Clean up the school’s Materials Recovery Facility (MRF); clean the containers or segregators and label them accordingly; assign a separate container for special waste such as fluorescent lamps and other hazardous waste.
8. Handle busted mercury-containing fluorescent lamps with care to prevent breakage; do not burn or mix such lamps with ordinary trash; properly store and dispose of them as hazardous waste; replace them with mercury-free and more energy-efficient LED lights with ICC stickers or PS marks.
9. Segregate non-functional computers, defective gadgets, broken appliances, spent batteries, and other electronic waste or e-waste for safe storage, recycling, or disposal.
10. Choose safer cleaning supplies instead of harsh chemicals like oxalic or muriatic acid, which can burn your eyes, skin, and lungs. Always check product labels for warning symbols and follow the safety directions carefully. Never combine bleach with ammonia or acids to avoid toxic fumes.
11. Ensure mandatory use of lead-safe paints, as required by DepEd Order No. 4, series of 2017, in decorating classrooms, doors, windows, chairs, tables, and cabinets, library, canteen, covered court, playground, play equipment, fences, gates, and other school structures.
12. Avoid dry sanding, dry scraping, and other improper methods of removing lead-painted surfaces to prevent the spread of hazardous lead dust and paint chips.
13. Wipe down all surfaces, including floors, windows, frames, sills, and furniture, with a damp mop or cloth to remove dust. Wash the mop or rag thoroughly afterward.
“The EcoWaste Coalition wishes DepEd and all schools nationwide a united, waste-free, and pollution-free Brigada Eskwela,” Tolentino concluded.
