An eco-caravan was held in school on July 26, 2018 to launch the year-long, school-wide Used Beverage Carton (UBC) Collection Drive. This collection drive was spearheaded and revived by the Grade School Science Department in partnership with Tetra Pak Philippines to promote care for the environment and recycling particularly of Tetra Pak packages. The eco-caravan hosted eco-friendly mystery games with pit stops, product sampling and redemption booths, as well as an exhibit area. The exhibit area showcased products recycled from used Tetra Pak cartons such as picture frames, notebooks, pen holders, clip boards, roofing materials, and even the recycle bin itself. Tetra Pak cartons are nonbiodegradable and made out of paper, plastic and aluminum foil. If not recycled, they add up to the 35,000 tons of garbage collected daily in Metro Manila alone.
In December 2017, Woodrose School ranked 10th in the collection drive among more than 100 participating schools within Metro Manila and nearby provinces. GNS, Tetra Pak’s appointed agency for its Care and Share (Recycling) Programme, also wanted to feature how Woodrose students practice the 3Fs and 2Cs of handling the used beverage cartons – Flip, Flap, Flat, Cut and Clean before disposal. They are impressed with how well our students make sure that the collected cartons would not attract pests like mice, crawling, and flying insects.
How successful will we be in reducing waste by December 2018? Only time can tell. For now, we bear in mind one environmental principle: “Everything must go somewhere.” The question is – Where should our Used Beverage Cartons go?