Photo by PIXABAY

The Philippine biodiversity is truly rich that only few countries is at par with the country's abundance. But beyond the rich biodiversity, it is very disheartening that the Philippines is also one of the largest producers of plastic wastes.

According to 2019 report of the environmental group Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), Filipinos use more than 163 million plastic sachets packs, 48 million shopping bags, and 45 million thin film bags DAILY. These data translate to about 60 billion sachets, 17.5 billion shopping bags, and nearly 16.5 billion thin film bags YEARLY!

The figures were based on the data from 21 barangays around the country from 2014 to 2018 guided by the Waste Assessment and Brand Audit (WABA) methodology.

The report notes the importance of sound policies in addressing this concern. "With the absence of policies mandating liability and accountability for the production of this problematic waste stream, cities and municipalities are left to deal with this problem using taxpayers' money," the report adds.

It further notes that 55 percent of the plastic wastes are branded products while 45 percent are unbranded. This simply shows that manufacturing companies are responsible in producing the unrecyclable residuals.

PHOTO by GAIA

Though the report lauds the strict implementation of "no plastic" policies in different cities and municipalities, such is not enough to curb the plastic problem.

One of the limitations of the "no plastic" policies is the lack of sound alternative packaging methods. Benguet's capital town La Trinidad is not excused to this concern. Known as the "Salad Bowl of the Philippines," it hosts the vegetable trading post responsible for bulk purchases of vegetables transported to Metropolitan Manila. With this, wholesalers are exempted from the ordinance but are highly encouraged to use reusable alternative packaging materials.

La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Post (LTVTP) is exempted from the "no plastic bag" policy. Photo by SNT

With the aforementioned cases, GAIA emphasizes the "urgent need for interventions that involve manufacturers in taking responsibility for their plastic waste, primarily by drastically reducing production of throwaway plastic packaging."

How could the problem be addressed?

The report emphasizes the role of the national government in solving the problem. The government is encouraged to develop a comprehensive plan to ban plastic bags and promote reusable bags nationwide.

Single-use plastic materials such as spoon and fork should be regulated. Companies should also redesign their products and provide alternative methods for disposal. Diapers, for example, should be environment-friendly.

The report also calls on accountability and transparency among corporations. Plastic-producing companies are highly encouraged to "stop producing throwaway plastic packaging."

As Filipino citizens affected by this situation, how should we respond to the plastic-producing products and companies?