As part of Zero Waste Cities Project-Dumaguete, three Dumaguete City barangays recently signed on as “pilot barangays,” through a memorandum of agreement, where they consented to imposing fines on those who irresponsibly dispose of garbage.

Barangay Lo-oc Captain Angelita Ragay, Barangay Bantayan Captain Nerio Grapa, and Barangay Piapi Captain Charlemagne Bantilan signed the agreement last week, with Ragay noting, “This is to show the people in the city that we are starting to get rid of plastic.”

According to a release by the Philippine Information Agency, the project seeks to educate residents by providing information about waste management and its impact on the environment.

Meanwhile, the Malay municipal government, which has jurisdiction over shuttered resort island Boracay, recently passed Municipal Ordinance No, 386, which bans the use of single-use plastic items at the tourist destination once it reopens next month.

Establishments found in violation of the policy will be fined between P2,000 and P2,500, along with the possible cancelation of their business permit./WDJ