Around P900,000 was spent by the Municipality of Consolacion to provide reusable tumblers to nearly 3,000 Grade 6 pupils, teachers and advisers in the town’s 20 public elementary schools in a bid to reduce single-use plastic waste.
The tumblers were distributed throughout July under the municipality’s Tumbler Ordinance, which promotes the use of reusable containers and seeks to lessen plastic waste in schools and communities.
The project was funded through the Local Government Unit’s Community Assistance Fund (CAF) allocated to Environment Committee Chairman Councilor Fred Herrera.
Herrera said the program was intended to turn the municipality’s environmental policies into an everyday practice, particularly among young learners who regularly use disposable plastic bottles and containers.
‘Dili enough nga maghimo lang ta og ordinance. We have to translate the ordinance into action,’ Herrera said.
He said the reusable tumblers are meant not only to provide students with containers for drinking water but also to encourage them to develop habits that can help reduce plastic waste.
Grade 6 pupils were selected as the initial beneficiaries as they are considered ‘mature enough’ to understand environmental responsibility and are preparing to transition to junior high school.
The initiative also supports lessons on waste management under the Department of Education curriculum, including the ‘5Rs’ – reduce, reuse, recycle, recover and repair.
Vice Mayor Joannes ‘Joyjoy’ Alegado, who joined the school-to-school distribution, said encouraging environmental responsibility among young people requires sustained effort and investment.
‘The reusable benefit of a tumbler is essential in curtailing the volume of single-use plastics that are indiscriminately thrown away,’ Alegado said.
He said the municipality wants students to take an active role in efforts to protect the environment, particularly by reducing their dependence on disposable plastic products.
Additionally, Herrera said he plans to seek a higher CAF allocation during the upcoming budget hearings to expand the program to other grade levels and sectors.
The local council is also pursuing broader environmental measures. Herrera recently sponsored an ordinance that went through its first reading promoting a ‘Bring Your Own’ (BYO) practice in government offices, schools and business establishments in Consolacion.