Basilan, one of the province of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao ( BARMM), turned trashes into tulips to attract tourists and increase the awareness of recycling.

Basilan is known as one of the poorest provinces in the country.

As cited in the report of Business World, 26,877 bottles were used to build the tulip gardens. These bottles were collected from 45 villages around Lamitan City in Basilan, an island province on the southwestern tip of the archipelago.

“Plastic bottles were cut into the shape of tulips and painted red, yellow, pink and blue, while others were blended into sand and cement and used to make pathways in the garden,” report said.

Turning trashes into tulips does not only improve the tourism but also to protect the environment.

“Plastic bottles make up a large chunk of waste in Lamitan, and turning them into a tourist attraction can help combat plastic pollution. Let us be mindful of how to minimise the use of plastic,” Rosé Furigay, Lamitan City Mayor said.

Forever Tulip Garden is located at Sitio Panansangan, and officially opens in public on Monday, September 23. This initiative intensified the solid waste management campaign called “Abante Lamitan, Atras Basura.”

“Moreover, a million plastic bottles are bought around the world every minute and the number will jump another 20% by 2021, creating an environmental crisis some campaigners predict will be as serious as climate change,” report from the Guardian.

“Between 5m and 13m tonnes of plastic leaks into the world’s oceans each year to be ingested by sea birds, fish and other organisms, and by 2050 the ocean will contain more plastic by weight than fish, according to the research by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Experts warn that some of it is already finding its way into the human food chain,” report added.

Sources:

Basilan turns trash into tulips to fight waste

A million bottles a minute: world’s plastic binge ‘as dangerous as climate change’

LOOK: A Tulip Garden In Basilan Made Of Plastic Waste