MORE THAN 10 tons of household trash have so far been collected at the trash nets installed under two bridges in Iligan City in June, the Department of Public Works and Highways-Northern Mindanao (DPWH-10) office reported on Saturday. About 90% of the collected garbage consists of plastic bottles, food packaging, discarded clothing, and magazines. The rest are organic materials like leaves and small pieces of old furniture. The trash net system was installed to prevent domestic garbage from reaching Iligan Bay, one of the most important fishing grounds in southern Philippines. DPWH, in a statement, said “illegal fishing and the effects of burgeoning coastal communities” have contributed to the steady decline in marine catch. “We hope to stem the tide and restore back the abundance of our local fishing grounds. We feel that by protecting Iligan Bay from domestic garbage, we are moving towards the right direction,” said OIC-District Engineer Alykhan Ali of the DPWH-Lanao del Norte 2nd District Engineering Office. The trash nets are installed underneath bridges in Barangays Tibanga and Tubod.

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