ENVIRONMENTAL and health advocates on Friday spearheaded a community meeting and caravan in a highly populated village of 152,000 residents in Quezon City to adopt “Iwas Paputoxic” in welcoming 2025.
The EcoWaste Coalition partnered with the leadership of Barangay Bagong Silangan, urging residents to avoid the use of “paputoxic,” a term coined to emphasize the toxic effects of firecrackers.
The village is a partner community of the EcoWaste Coalition for the implementation of its Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka (PHINLA) project to scale up multisectoral sustainable waste management systems and strengthening of livelihoods for poverty-affected populations.
“We call upon all families to celebrate the New Year in a joyful and safe manner through the use of alternatives to toxic firecrackers and fireworks,” the group national coordinator Aileen Lucero said in a statement.
“By going ‘Iwas Paputoxic,’ we avoid inflicting harm to ourselves, the children in particular, our pets and our surroundings,” she added.
She said firecrackers and fireworks can physical harm to humans and animals, and dirty the environment with nasty air pollutants and hazardous
