22/01/2026
๐ฆ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ ๐ง๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐
On January 21, the Officers of KEY Club STI Iligan visited the bright and curious kindergartners at the Pala-o Daycare Center in Purok 18, Brgy. Palao, Iligan City, to share practical insights on plastics and eco-waste management.
In a session marked by engagement and enthusiasm, the officers educated these young learners on how everyday materials impact our environment and why responsible waste habits matter today more than ever.๐ฃ
In the words of our national hero, Dr. Josรฉ Rizal: โ๐ฃ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐๐ธ๐พ๐ฝ๐ฑ ๐ช๐ป๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ธ๐น๐ฎ ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ธ๐พ๐ป ๐ฏ๐พ๐ฝ๐พ๐ป๐ฎ.โ๐
This belief was evident in every eager face, as the children absorbed lessons that could shape healthier, more sustainable habits in their communities.๐ฃ
The timing of this outreach is vital as climate change threatens our future. According to Waste Direct (2025), the world is projected to generate about 225 ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐จ๐ง๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐, a figure that continues to rise as global consumption outpaces waste management systems' capacity to handle it. Nearly 80 % of the worldโs population now lives in areas where waste management capacity has been overwhelmed, and an average of 28๐ค๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ซ. Of this, roughly a third may be mismanaged, ending up in nature rather than recycled responsibly.
As highlighted by the National Research Council of the Philippines (2024), our country in itself uses an estimated 163 ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ก๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฒ and generates about 2.3 ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ ๐๐ง๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ. Yet, only 28 percent of key plastic resins are recycled, leaving 72 percent to pollute land, waterways, and even infiltrate food systems through microplastics. ๐ป๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.
In line with the National Research Council of the Philippinesโ call to raise awareness on the growing threat of plastics and microplastics to health, food security, and the environment, the officersโ initiative served as a small but meaningful step toward change.
๐ฉ๐ ๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐, ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ ๐ช๐๐๐ ๐บ๐ป๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐.
Through their visit, the officers of KEY Club STI Iligan did more than share stories. They planted the seeds of environmental stewardship in young hearts who represent the next generation of changemakers.
Their efforts to raise awareness on plastics and waste management reflect a commitment to transformative action, inspiring both children and their families to think critically about how simple choices today can lead to a healthier planet tomorrow.
To nourish both minds and bodies, the officers also served spaghetti to the children; a gesture that brought joy and energy to the day while reinforcing the message that caring for our environment goes hand in hand with caring for each other.
The officersโ visit stands as a testament to the power of youth engagement in environmental advocacy and highlights how community service can inspire sustainable change. โป
๐๐๐ฉ ๐ช๐จ ๐๐๐ง๐ง๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ก๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐ข๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ช๐ก ๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐๐; ๐๐จ ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐ค๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐ค๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ง, ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ง ๐๐ช๐ฉ๐ช๐ง๐.๐ณ๐ฟ
REFERENCES
Graham, E. (2025, October 22). Plastic Waste Statistics & Trends. Waste Direct. https://wastedirect.co.uk/blog/plastic-waste-statistics/
Pustadan, R. (2024, February 15). THE GROWING THREAT OF MICROPLASTICS AND PLASTICS. National Research Council of the Philippines. https://nrcp.dost.gov.ph/the-growing-threat-of-microplastics-and-plastics/
