Plastics have now infiltrated every aspect of our daily life to a certain extent.
We use
plastics for many things, including the packaging of our food and other products, appliances,
furniture, clothing, and more, yet they eventually wind up in landfills, the ocean, or even our air.
Plastic usage is getting higher and higher as days go by. Plastics are one of the causes of
excessive waste products in the world. The Philippines struggles with unsustainable plastic
manufacturing and use, as do many other quickly developing nations, as well as a lack of
infrastructure for managing solid waste. Every year, the Philippines produces a remarkable 2.7
million tons of plastic waste, of which 20 percent is thought to wind up in the ocean. The
Philippines, which is made up of more than 7,500 islands, is particularly susceptible to the
effects of marine debris on its coastal populations, as well as on its fishing, shipping, and
tourism sectors.
The Philippines ranked third as the world’s greatest plastic waste generator, with the
second being Indonesia and China being the first (Jack et al., 2015). In addition, the COVID-19
epidemic has made the nation's waste issue worse because of an increase in medical waste.
1,000 metric tons of medical waste are purportedly collected every day, according to the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), however, reports suggest that
garbage disposal and collection are still issues. Only 9% of plastic is recycled globally, the rest
is burned, dumped in landfills, or improperly disposed of, according to research by the
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Only two percent of this
nine percent are adequately recycled; the remaining eighty percent are downcycled and finally
become plastic garbage.
In the Philippines, especially in urban areas like Metro Manila, managing solid waste is
still a significant concern. Improper waste management, ineffective waste collection, and a lack
of disposal facilities are some of the major issues in solid waste management in the nation. The
waste produced by diverse sources won't be reduced unless these issues are addressed.
persistently create health risks and severe environmental effects such as contaminated ground
and surface water, flooding, pollution, and disease transmission. Several older Filipinos assert
that recycling is nothing new to them. At the domestic level, the reuse of food jars, renovation or
transformation of old furniture, and even the "recycling" of leftover lunch into new supper cuisine
are examples of this. But, the emergence of modern lives and a consumerist, convenience-
driven society has given rise to a throw-away attitude. But recycling is becoming more popular.
The 3Rs – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – are strategies for dealing with generated waste, to
reduce the volume that is needlessly thrown away and which takes up space in landfills. Bottle
recycling aids in freeing up landfill space for other non-recyclable debris. Recycling contributes
to a decrease in the number of plastic bottles dumped on the streets. Water, oil, natural gas,
and coal are examples of the natural resources needed for the production of plastic bottles.
Hence, recycling plastic bottles can aid in protecting these priceless resources. Moreover, this
production contributes to global warming by releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere,
such as carbon dioxide. Recycling plastic bottles, however, eventually uses less energy and
fossil fuel, which results in lower greenhouse gas emissions. Recycling gives a lot of benefits to
every individual and also to the environment. The waste the world has can be diminished in a
simple way and not damaging anything the environment.
References:
World Bank Group. (2021, April 15). Market Study for the Philippines: Plastics Circularity
Opportunities and Barriers. World Bank.
https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/philippines/publication/market-study-for-philippines-
plastics-circularity-opportunities-and-barriers-report-landing-page
Redirect Notice. (n.d.). https://www.google.com/url?
sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAQQw7AJahcKEwig2piti9n
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The Face of Plastic | Ateneo de Manila University. (2022b, July 18). Ateneo De Manila
University. https://www.ateneo.edu/news/2022/07/18/face-plastic
Senate Economic Planning Office. (2017). Philippines Solid Waste at a Glance.
http://legacy.senate.gov.ph/publications/SEPO/AAG_Philippine%20Solid
%20Wastes_Nov2017.pdf
Antonio, L. C. (2010), ‘Study on Recyclables Collection Trends and Best Practices in the
Philippines’, in Kojima, M. (ed.), 3R Policies for Southeast and East Asia. ERIA Research
Project Report 2009-10, Jakarta: ERIA. pp.40-70.
