The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will recycle the black plastic bags used in potting seedlings to cut the cost of implementing the National Greening Program (NGP).
DENR Secretary Ramon J. P. Paje said the move will not only reduce the cost of seedling production for the NGP but will also reduce the potential impact of plastic bags on the environment.
“With 1.5 billion seedlings to be raised from 2011 and 2016, we are looking at a cost of PhP750 million for plastic bags alone,” said Paje. But with recycling, the cost for plastic bags will be reduced by at least half.
Paje added the measure will also demonstrate this administration’s commitment to putting public money to efficient and good use.
The environment chief cited as an example the recent NGP tree planting activity held at the foot of Mount Banahaw in Sariaya, Quezon, where he led the planting of 20,000 tree seedlings.
According to Paje, he observed that many of the volunteers removed the planting medium from the plastic bag “with ease and efficiency”. “By adopting the ‘squeeze-and-hold method’, the volunteers were able to remove the seedlings from the plastic bags with ease and efficiency,” he stressed.
“Squeeze-and-hold” is a method whereby the soil around the seedling base is gently squeezed, thereby compacting it, and then the base is carefully pushed upward. Paje advised, however, that care should be taken by the planter in removing the seedling from the plastic bag so as not to disturb the root system.
Aside from the economic savings, the recycling would also reduce the environmental impact of plastic bags used in the NGP, Paje said. PAO, DENR
