Banana peel as an Eco- bag
Background of the Study
Plastics are carbon-based polymers, which are mostly generated
from petroleum. In most marketplaces across the country, these plastics
are commonly utilized in product packaging. They are water-resistant and
simple to use. However, there are drawbacks to utilizing plastics. It is
exceedingly tough to get rid of the aforementioned polymers. In 2010, the
Philippines discharged 1 billion tons of plastic into the ocean, according to
a study done by the University of Georgia (2012). In comparison to other
Asian countries, however, the country's population is rapidly expanding.
Because of this large population, tons of plastic are produced each year.
It will take years for these plastics to degrade fully. Due to the longtime
of decomposition, the disposals of the said plastics have been one of the
biggest problems of the country.
Eco bags and bio plastic, on the other hand, are plastics made
from renewable resources that are either biodegradable or both. These are
plastics made from vegetable oil, corn starch, plant cellulose, and/or
microbes (Science Learn, 2013). (Source: Goodall, 2011). Bio plastics were
first launched in the 1980s. The goal was to have widely discarded
plastics dissolve in landfills so that they would not take up space. The bio
plastic’s concept or objective failed. Another goal of this bio plastic is to
cut down on the use of petroleum and petrochemicals. However, some
starch-based polymers are now mixed with petroleum-based plastics. (New
York Times, May 13, 2014)
Bio plastics and eco bags have a significant environmental impact
because they do not emit or emit fewer greenhouse gases than ordinary
plastics. However, there are drawbacks to adopting bio plastics and green
bags. Bio plastics, for example, cannot be recycled with ordinary plastics
because they include chemicals that can interfere with the recycling
process. It also can't be tossed in the compost bin with other organic
waste because bio plastics don't biodegrade under typical conditions. (Dell,
2010.)
When ordinary plastics degrade, hazardous chemicals and by-
products are discharged into the atmosphere. Bio plastics and eco bags
are better for the environment because they cause no harm to the planet.
Bio plastics do not contain any chemicals or poisons, making them
completely safe. The adoption of this type of plastic will help the country
become less reliant on fossil fuels. (Source: Bio Stocks Pro, 14 May
2014).
Plastic use increased by 4% in 2013 to 299 million tons, up from
298 million tons in 2012. (World watch Institute, 2015). It also pollutes the
water and may endanger marine life. In 2015, the Philippines was ranked
third out of 192 coastal countries for the worst contributors to ocean
plastic pollution, with over one billion tons of plastic dumped into the
ocean (Jambeck, 2015). Plastics take a long time to disintegrate in the
environment because they are petroleum-based. Plastic detergent bottles,
shampoo and conditioner bottles, and other non-food containers degrade in
about 100 years, while plastic bags made of cans take about 1000 years
to decompose (Sleight, 2011). When they are burned or heated, harmful
compounds such as dioxins are released, which can affect the
environment and organisms, including humans. 2015 (Soffar)
In 2001, the Philippines enacted a landmark law - Republic Act
9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2001. This law is
deemed a model law because of its decentralized and community-centred
approach to waste and resource management systems. In complementary
with Republic Act 8679 or the Clean Air Act, R.A. 9003 bans burning or
incineration of wastes. In fact, January is considered as the Philippines’
Zero Waste Month because this was the month when Republic Act No.
9003, was put into law nineteen years ago. However, despite being hailed
as one of the world’s most progressive environmental laws, the
implementation of the 19-year old law has suffered from lack of political
will and contradicting policies from government agencies involved in waste
and resource management. In fact, almost every year, there has always
been a threat to repeal the ban on waste-to-energy incineration as
enshrined in these two laws. Also Republic Act No. 9512 on National
Environmental Awareness and Education Act, 2008. Says that This Act
provides for the promotion of environmental awareness through
environmental education which shall encompass environmental concepts
and principles, environmental laws, the state of international and local
environment, local environmental best practices, the threats of
environmental degradation and its impact on human well-being, the
responsibility of the citizenry to the environment and the value of
conservation, protection and rehabilitation of natural resources and the
environment. This act are related to our study because it is made to
lessen plastic pollution that became Philippines biggest environmental
problem since then. Many politicians are working about this problem but
they don’t succeed to it.
In the meanwhile, due to the Philippines' ideal environment, Saba
bananas are plentiful. Every year, about 3.5 metric tons of bananas are
produced, and the Philippines is the fifth largest banana exporter in the
world. Each year, however, 382,491 kg of banana trash are produced.
2011 (PBworks)
Because of the information mentioned above, the researchers set
out to find a new approach to make bio plastic. They sought to develop a
solution to turn the Saba banana peelings into something valuable rather
than waste. The researchers aimed to aid the environment by employing
garbage as the main component of the bio plastic. They desired a material
that would degrade quickly rather than taking hundreds of years. Because
it is made of biodegradable components, the stated plastic will not
contribute to CO2 creation.
Reference:
https://unfccc.int/climate-action/momentum-for-change/activity-database/momentum-for-
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%20only%20recycle%20material,present%20a%20serious%20disposal%20problem.
https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/philippines/publication/market-study-for-philippines-
plastics-circularity-opportunities-and-barriers-report-landing-page#:~:text=Like%20many
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https://th.boell.org/en/2020/01/20/philippines-banning-single-use-plastics-national-level-and-
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