While plastic waste may not be the sole cause to the clogged sewers, a plastic ban was implemented in major cities ever since 2011, with Muntinlupa as the pioneer. (Earthjustice, n.d.)
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Due to the apparent improvement in the flooding situation during the next typhoon, the plastic ban was well-received by majority of the public (Earthjustice, n.d.).
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Commercial establishments are thus required by law to provide biodegradable alternatives to plastic bags, such as paper bags and woven bags. Sale, use and distribution of Styrofoam and other non-biodegradable materials are strictly prohibited. (Frialde, 2013)
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It is noteworthy that items such as plastic bottled products (such as bottled drinks, cooking oil and peanut butter) and plastic sachet products (such as shampoo, cigarette case) are excluded from the ban, since they are considered as primary packaging materials that directly contain the item sold. (Frialde, 2013)
Unlike Indonesia, the Philippines has the highest garbage collection rates in Southeast Asia. (Ocean Conservancy, 2015) The large amount of marine litter leaked by this country is thus puzzling.
It was discovered that 74% of the plastics released into the ocean by Philippines are actually leaked from collected garbage, mainly due to illegal dumping by garbage-hauling companies and open dump sites that are near to rivers. (Ranada, 2015) The remaining 26% comes from garbage that are not collected.
Infographic produced by Sylvia Chen.
CAUSES
PAST EFFORTS
LIMITATIONS
Banning plastic crippled the local plastic industry which was estimated to amount to 175,000 workers. (Plastics and Rubber Asia, 2013) Commercial establishments are also unhappy with the increase in cost and some even argued that alternatives, such as paper bags, are costlier environmentally and financially. (“The Plastic Problem”, 2011)
The plastic ban itself thus cannot exist singularly without other measures to mitigate its side effects and to enforce anti-littering and waste collection and segregation for maximum efficiency.
