I lived in a suburban area of Manila ten years ago. As a young mother of two very little boys, I was always very paranoid about anything that concerned their health. Thank goodness, I later learned that it would be good for their immune system to be exposed to dirt and some healthy bacteria every now and then.

But still, I wouldn’t give any chance to mosquitoes or hideous flies getting near my boys. Dengue fever, typhoid fever, and other illnesses scare me. Then, just as my fears were heightened with the help of the daily health news concerning dengue, the garbage collectors ceased to collect our trash for more than four days! Apparently, there was some crisis with the overflow of garbage at the dumping site.

You can imagine the sight (forget about the smell!) of our neighborhood – plastic bags adorned our large trash bins, flies feasted on the rotting food, and trash spilled out of every household. Of course it dawned on me: uncollected trash equals flies and insects which equals all kinds of illnesses! A possible epidemic!

I didn’t waste any time in educating my neighbors about how we could handle the situation instead of just waiting for the garbage to be collected. Goodness, we could die covered in garbage if we didn’t make a “collective” effort in managing our trash! So I typed and handed out these tips on how to minimize household waste:
* Dig a hole in your backyard and bury scraps of food, pet litter, and all other biodegradable items. This is called composting. The compost can serve as fertilizer later for plants, flowers, and trees. It will prevent the flies from dancing around garbage bins and eventually reaching the kitchen and dinner table!
* Before throwing used diapers in the trash bin, scrape off the poop and flush it away. The dirty diapers will not then add to the stench as much.
* Use “bird’s eye cloth” and big safety pins for babies as an alternative to the diaper during the daytime. It’s economical, better for the baby’s skin, and environmentally friendly too.

I received different kinds of responses from my neighbors. Some supported the proactive move. I saw some of my neighbors bury their biodegradable trash in their front yards. Some laughed and scorned at the idea about clearing out the dirty diapers and using the “lampin” (bird’s eye cloth) because it’s no longer used in these modern times. They thought I was joking. At least, the stench was gone and there were fewer flies. As it turned out, the trash was collected after two days. However, during the weeks that followed, our trash was only collected once a week. This lasted for a month until another dumping site was identified.

Now that I live in Singapore, I no longer worry about the trash being collected on time but I still try to do a few things to minimize waste. I try to avoid food stalls that use plastic or styrofoam materials. If I cannot avoid using plastic during a party, I will reuse them for at least one other occasion before I throw them away.

I’ve recently destroyed and thrown away all my Tefal, Teflon, and aluminum cooking wares. I’ve read that the fumes released during cooking are not only bad for our health but also contributes to global warming as well. I’m now cooking healthy and nutritious food for my family using my new titanium stainless steel cooking wares.

When cleaning my home, I just mop with water and floor disinfectant once a week, since we don’t use our outdoor shoes inside the house anyway. It’s also another way to preserve our homogenous tiles. I use a dry, white sheet that catches all the dust and hairs when I sweep my floor everyday. I save water this way.

Another handy household item is the newspaper. I clean my windows and glass doors with it, including our pet rabbit’s cage. A rag would need to be washed with water and soap every time it is used.

I open my windows during the day instead of using my electric fan. At night, I prefer my electric fan over the air conditioner.

I share my love for our environment with my family and friends. I would like them to know that next to loving God and one another, is being good stewards of the Earth that God has given us to take care of. We can no longer play deaf or blind concerning the state of our environment. In the long run, our endeavors will benefit us, and our future generations.

Maria is a Filipino by birth and a Singaporean by choice. She’s a full-time wife and mom to three talented kids and a part-time actor and writer for TV. She also teaches creative writing, and speech and drama. She paints, reads or enjoys good movies whenever she needs to relax.