NOV. 1 TRASH IN MANILA CEMETERIES DROPS

The Metro Manila Development Authority's Metro Parkway Clearing Group reported collecting up to 76 truckloads of garbage from 10 major cemeteries in Manila immediately following this year's All Saints' Day observance. Meanwhile, the Phil. Daily Inquirer bared that in 2011, the North and South Cemeteries alone produced 200 truckloads of trash. There was a clear decrease in the amount of plastic bags, attributed to recent campaigns by Metro Manila cities to regulate or ban them. Also given credit were volunteers from the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation that collected recyclables from six cemeteries, effectively taking these materials our of the garbage stream. (Based on reports from the Phil. Daily Inquirer, 04 Nov. 2012.)