In the award-winning Hollywood movie, The Graduate, the character portrayed by newcomer Dustin Hoffman (who earned a well-deserving Oscar nomination for his performance) asked some advice on career direction. “Plastics, my boy. Plastics,” he was told.
Businesses all over the world are heeding the advice – and now we have a gargantuan problem.
“We produce around 430 million tons of plastic a year, two thirds of which are short-lived plastics, which soon become waste. Plastic pollution can have devastating impacts on our ecosystems and wildlife, our health and well-being, and the global economy,” explained Jyoti Mathur-Filipp, the Secretariat’s Executive Secretary of the International Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution, to the United Nations News.
She said the packaging sector is the world’s largest generator of single use plastic waste. “Approximately 36% of all plastic produced is for packaging,” she said. “This includes single use food and beverage containers, 85% of which ends up in landfills or as hazardous waste.”
In the Philippines, the so-called “sachet economy” has contributed to the proliferation of plastics. Products sold in single-use sachets include instant coffee, shampoo, soy sauce, cooking oil, food seasoning, and toothpaste.
“Because they are easy to sell – ribbons of single-use products hang from neighbourhood stores even in the most remote communities – large multinational manufacturing companies continue to market them,” said the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Unfortunately, most Filipinos discard 60 billion plastic sachets each year, according to one research group. That’s about one sachet per person per day on a per capita basis.
“The problem with plastics has been escalating for decades, and the Philippines has been identified as the world’s third largest contributor of plastics in the ocean,” WWF said. “Plastic pollution has always been a huge issue in the Philippines with the continuous generation of plastic wastes and poor waste management.”
Most people don’t recognize plastic pollution as very alarming. But what they don’t know is that they are greatly affected by it, particularly during heavy rains. Plastics clog the canals and irrigations, thereby causing floods.
Filipinos must also be aware of microplastics, those fragments of any type of plastic less than 0.20 inches in length, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Those that come from larger plastic waste like plastic bottles are called macroplastics.
“Microplastics can enter the body through inhalation and absorption by the skin and can accumulate in organs, including in the placenta,” said Mathur-Filipp. “Some of the chemicals in microplastics are associated with serious health impacts, especially in women.”
Scientists have already established links between exposure to chemical additives that leach from plastics, with obesity, diabetes, poor brain health and even cancer. Research is still being done on the effects microplastics have on human health. “And we do not know yet how dangerous they are,” said Mathur-Filipp.
Additionally, due to limited and inefficient waste management infrastructure, 40% of the world’s garbage is burned, 12% of which consists of plastic. “The burning of plastic waste has multiple health impacts, including increasing the risk of heart diseases and aggravating respiratory problems such as asthma and emphysema,” said Mathur-Filipp.
Plastics, which used to be one of the most useful discoveries of modern society, have become today’s scourge. They come in handy, light, malleable, unbreakable, and cheap. Name it and there is always a plastic counterpart of it. Unfortunately, the price to pay is higher than its actual cost.
Plastics have become so common that no one pays attention to them anymore. Once unusable, people just throw plastics away. They don’t bother to recycle them, as they are cheap anyway.
Because they are cheap, plastics have become a part of Filipinos’ daily life, stressed Juvinia P. Serafin, senior environmental management specialist of the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Data from the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) showed that in 2020 that four hundred and eighty-eight (488) local government units have ordinances banning single-use plastics.
Now, the good news. The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) recently unveiled three technologies that aim to solve plastic related concerns.
Through the Startup Grant Fund (SGF) of its line agency, the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD), the DOST released P13 million to support the research and development (R&D) conducted by three startup companies which generated these technologies.
DOST Secretary Dr. Renato U. Solidum Jr. said that the support for these startups is the commitment of the department to helping the industry address concerns over single-use plastics (SUPs).
“Startups are a powerful economic force. We at DOST continue to provide solutions and open opportunities for our industries as we move towards strengthening our circular economy. Through R&D, startups can bring transformative innovations and bring solutions to national concerns,” he said.
The Recycle On-Demand Bin (ROBIN) of startup company Robin Machine Manufacturing is a reverse vendo system that gathers recyclables, such as PET bottles and tin cans, in return for rewards. Cash, WIFI, access to a charging station, and points that can be redeemed for goods from partner retailers are just a few of the customizable rewards options available for the bin.
The SACHI Group Inc., another startup company, developed cassava bioplastics and explored additives for cassava bioplastics that can improve properties and cut manufacturing costs.
Lesstics, Inc., still another startup company, developed roofing tiles from waste SUPs.
Dr. Enrico C. Paringit, PCIEERD executive director, expressed optimism about the technologies that the startup companies will be coming up as it will help in addressing the country’s plastic concerns.
“We are excited to see these technologies get into the hands of our citizens and being fully utilized. We hope to see more innovations in the future, and we are ready to support these game changers in the country,” he said.
