What is good for the ecology is also good for the economy.

Indeed, there is good money to be made from best environmental practices even in the community level.

The public good is also greatly served in terms of communal health and hygiene.

These make compelling arguments for embracing green protocols like garbage segregation and composting.

But don’t take our word for it. Listen instead to upland residents who have embraced the green lifestyle. 

On top of income from daily sales, vendors in public market of Bontoc, the capital of Mountain Province, are earning extra from segregation and composting of waste while promoting cleanliness and environmental safety.

Soledad Kittong, a member of the Bontoc Market Vendors Association, said half of the more than three tons of compost dug up recently is given out to households with a substantial portion sold to organic farmers in the neighboring towns of Sadanga and Sabangan.

“We have to volunteer to share the benefits of waste segregation. We do not want our future generations to suffer the problems caused by our failure to properly dispose of our waste,” Kittong was quoted by  a broadsheet as saying, noting that the market refuse produced was about 10 tons a day.

She said members led by BOMARVA president Paula Acofo took up the plan with Mayor Pascual Sacgaca, who welcomed the idea.

“We are happy that our market vendors are the ones taking the lead in our solid waste-management campaign so that our people will be able to strictly adhere to proper waste management and prevent the unabated dumping which eventually result in massive pollution of our rivers,” he said, citing Chico River as a critical waterway that needed protection.

Environmental watchdogs like the EcoWaste Coalition and Greenpeace have serially called on the public to “reduce, reuse, and recycle” waste in order to minimize damage to the environment.

A good portion of waste produced by households, food establishments, markets, and other workplaces are biodegradable  - that is, capable of decaying into harmless materials.      

Organic wastes like leftover food, rotten fruit or skin peelings, and spoiled vegetables can be turned into compost and sold as fertilizers.

In turn, the fruits and vegetables grown using this kind of fertilizer command a premium price among gourmet or health-conscious individuals who are wary of the harmful effects of chemical fertilizers to health and the environment.

Indeed, it pays to embrace the green lifestyle.