Mayor Vico Sotto on Saturday lauded Barangay San Antonio (BSA), Pasig led by its chairman Raymond Lising for sustaining its “Basura to Ayuda” program which he said should be imitated by other barangays in the city.

“Napaka-gandang initiative ang ‘Basura to Ayuda’, sana ay ma-expand pa natin sa ibang mga barangay ng lungsod Pasig. Magandang ehemplo talaga ito ng Barangay San Antonio, sina Kap. Raymond Lising marami silang magagandang programa tulad nito na magandang gawin sa mga ibang barangay sa Pasig (Basura to Ayuda is a very good initiative, hopefully we can expand it to other barangays in Pasig City. This is really a good example of Barangay San Antonio. Chairman Raymond Lising and other village officials, they have many good programs like this that are good which should also be implemented in other barangays),” Sotto said in a news release on Sunday.

“Congratulations, Barangay San Antonio at sa lahat ng partners nila dito sa ‘Basura to Ayuda program’ (and all partners of this ‘Basura to Ayuda program’). Happy first anniversary!,” he added.

Lising said they were flattered and honored by Sotto’s acknowledgment of their “trailblazing” project.

“Rest assured that we will continue this program as it has already been a habit for our kabarangays to segregate and recycle,” he said.

During the program’s anniversary, over 200 kilos of plastic waste have been collected by the BSA from residents.

Lising said they are very elated that it has been a habit for residents to recycle due to the “Basura to Ayuda” program which shows a whole-of-community approach to recycling.

This sustainable project of the barangay manifests the community’s commitment in protecting the environment, he added.

“I am very thankful to our kabarangays for taking part in this notable program. This is our barangay’s contribution in taking care of our environment” he said.

The “Basura to Ayuda” program of BSA also eased some burden on the part of garbage collectors as many residents now segregate their wastes. Before, it takes so much effort and time for garbage collectors to segregate the wastes of residents.

Aiming to helping save the environment and encourage residents to recycle by exchanging their plastic wastes for packs of rice amid the pandemic, BSA partnered with Planeta Cares, a non-government organization, to launch the “Bayanihan Waste Management Program: Basura to Ayuda” in October last year.

Under the program, residents will collect and bring 500 grams of loose plastic or 1.5L eco-brick weighing 500 grams in exchange for three kilos of rice.

The plastic wastes accepted in the project were plastic containers and tubs; shampoo, detergent, and other HDPE (high-density polyethylene) bottles; plastic bags, sachets, snack packs, plastic cups, lids, utensils, and PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles.

Planeta Cares brings the collected plastic waste to their three selected recycling entities — The Sustainable Gardener PH, Cloop, and Sari-Cycle.

Cloop and Sari-Cycle, both situated in Pasig, employ members of low-income families and their end products such as trophies and school supplies are being sold and the profit goes to the salary of their workers, Lising said.

Meantime, the eco-bricks will go to The Sustainable Gardener PH for their urban farming projects. The materials built from recycled plastics are donated to poor communities that need them the most.

Also present during the event was BSA Councilor Justin Galang who is heading the barangay’s Committee on Clean and Green. (PNA)