Flood Hero PET Bottle Bin Moves to CTU as Cebu Sustainability Drive Gains City Council Recognition

CEBU CITY -- The Flood Hero Cebu Movement is moving to its next campus as the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) turned over the Flood Hero PET Bottle Receptacle Bin to Cebu Technological University (CTU) Main Campus, continuing an initiative that promotes plastic waste recovery and flood mitigation.

USPF completed its month-long participation in the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI)-led movement after collecting 25 kilograms of assorted PET plastic bottles from its campus community.

The collected bottles were turned over to the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CCENRO), where they will be repurposed into floating trash trap interceptors designed to capture plastic waste in waterways and help prevent it from reaching rivers and coastal areas.

The turnover to CTU allows the collection bin to remain in circulation, providing another campus community with a designated facility for PET bottle segregation and recycling.

USPF Vice President for Support Services and External Affairs Dr. Janet Arcana and Student Affairs Services Director Grace Clabisillas were recognized for their support and coordination during the university's participation in the initiative.

The university also promotes the use of reusable tumblers among students and employees to reduce reliance on single-use plastic bottles. Despite these efforts, the campus still recovered 25 kilograms of PET waste during the campaign, underscoring the volume of recyclable plastic that can be diverted through proper segregation.

The latest handover comes as the Flood Hero Movement gains recognition from the Cebu City Council.

Through Resolution No. 17-3741-2026, the City Council commended CCCI and five academic institutions for their contributions to environmental sustainability, responsible plastic waste management and flood mitigation through the initiative.

The institutions recognized were Southwestern University-PHINMA, University of the Visayas, College of Technological Sciences-Cebu, University of San Jose-Recoletos Basak Campus, and Cebu Institute of Technology-University.

The participating schools installed PET bottle collection bins on their campuses, giving students, faculty and staff accessible points for segregating and disposing of used plastic bottles.

Under the program, collected PET bottles are sorted and converted into environmental river interceptors, or floating booms, which are intended to capture floating waste before it reaches rivers and coastal waters.

The City Council described the collaboration between CCCI and the participating academic institutions as an example of civic responsibility, innovation and environmental leadership. It also cited the initiative's application of Circular Economy principles by transforming discarded plastic into functional infrastructure for environmental protection.

CCCI said the Flood Hero Movement forms part of its broader sustainability efforts through its Sustainability and Environment Stewardship Alliance and partnerships with schools, government agencies, businesses and community organizations.

With the transfer of the collection bin from USPF to CTU, CCCI said the movement will continue expanding its reach across Cebu's educational institutions while encouraging more people to reduce plastic consumption, practice proper waste segregation and participate in efforts to make Cebu cleaner, greener and more flood-resilient. | Carmel Pedroza