CALOOCAN CITY, (PIA) -- To help curb the global crisis on ocean plastic pollution, the Paranaque City Government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Communities Organized for Resource Allocation (CORA), a non-profit organization dedicated to creating sustainable programs to help solve global issues centered on hunger, poverty, inequality, and climate change.

Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez, City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) head Bernie Amurao, Engr. Tere Quigue and CORA signed the MOU to launch the project “Circular Center: Enhanced Recovery and Recycling Mechanism for Marine Litter,” which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

CORA was represented by local celebrity Antoinette Taus, founder and executive director, and Gloidan Papas, operations director and USAID-Clean Cities Blue Ocean (CCBO) program manager.

The project is under the CCBO, the flagship program of the USAID that responds to the global crisis on ocean plastic pollution, Olivarez said.

The mayor said CORA’s Circular Center will be situated in the vicinity of the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Parañaque that will serve as a comprehensive and replicable, circular economy model for the recovery and diversion of clean, dry and segregated solid waste both biodegradable and non-biodegradable.

He said the project will also support and strengthen existing local government systems and infrastructure by incorporating women into the value-chain as leaders of 3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle) and solid waste management 3R/SWM.

Local communities will also be engaged to shift their behavior to more sustainable 3R/WM practices that also give back via various incentive programs.

He said it will also leverage private sector partners to create and build on end-markets for single-use of plastics.

The existing livelihood programs in Parañaque will also be supported and strengthened by the program in order to create more 3R and economic opportunities for women.

-with report from Alehia Therese V. Abuan

(PIA-NCR)