Some businesses in Davao Region seemed to heed the advice that was given to Oscar-nominated Dustin Hoffman in the 1967 thought-provoking movie, “The Graduate.” In the said movie, the tyro actor’s character asked for some advice on career director. “Plastics, my boy. Plastics,” he was told.
By following the advice, plastic is now one of Davao Region’s top pollutants of canals, rivers, and other waterways which most end up in the open seas.
Those disposable plastic products like shopping bags and bottles of mineral water are not only polluting the waters, they are also killing marine inhabitants like seagrasses, fishes, and other creatures living in coastal ecosystems.
This must be the reason why the regional office of the Environment and Management Bureau (EMB) of Davao is asking the consuming public to refuse single-use plastic as part of the zero waste mandate of Republic Act No. 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Law. Doing so will help combat plastic pollution in the region.
“Refusing single-use plastic everyday will ultimately add up and significantly reduce plastic waste,” pointed out Socorro Mallare, head of EMB’s environmental education and information unit, during the recent “Kapehan sa Dabaw.”
Examples of single-use plastic products include grocery bags, toothbrush, bottled water, sachets of shampoo and condiments, food seasoning, instant coffee, and soap and candy wrappers, among others.
But there are other kinds of plastics which are now used extensively by Filipinos, according to Juvinia P. Serafin, senior environment specialist of the EMB’s Solid Waste Management Division. Among these are credit cards, food containers and packages, utensils, cellphones and tablets, kitchen wares, toys, and furniture.
Serafin was talking before a group of Filipinos journalists who attended the media workshop on plastic pollution in the Philippines convened by the Philippine Network of Environmental Journalists, Inc.
With a current population of more than 106 million, the Philippines produce about 43,684 tons of solid waste each day – or about 0.32 to 0.71 kilogram per person. Most of these garbage (56.7%) come from residential areas while commercial establishments contribute about 27.1%. The rest are from industries and other institutions.
Solid waste are divided into four types: biodegradables (52.31%), recyclables (27.78%), residual (17.98%) and special (1.93%). Of the recyclables, plastics got the highest score with 10.55%, followed by paper and cardboard (8.70%), metals (4.22%), glass (2.34%), and textiles (1.61%).
The United Nations Environmental Program says between 22% and 43% of the plastic used worldwide is disposed of in landfills, where its resources are wasted, the material takes up valuable space, and it blights communities. Recovering plastic from the waste stream for recycling or for combustion for energy generation has the potential to minimize these problems.
The world’s first synthetic plastic was invented in New York in 1097 by Leo Baekeland. Due to its relatively low cost, convenience, versatility, ease of manufacture and imperviousness to water, plastic exploded in popularity as a material.
Plastic is a material made to last forever, yet 33 percent of all plastics are used just once and thrown away. “Disposed plastic materials can remain in the environment for up to 2,000 years and longer,” wrote Barry E. DiGregorio in an article.
For another, plastics affect human health. Studies have found that toxic chemicals leach out of plastic and are found in the blood and tissue of nearly all of human beings. Two broad classes of plastic-related chemicals are of critical concern for human health: bisphenol-A and additives used in the synthesis of plastics, which are known as phthalates. This was found out by a study conducted by the Arizona State University Biodesign Institute.
Exposure to them is linked to cancers, birth defects, impaired immunity, endocrine disruption and other ailments, it said.
Another reason: plastics spoil groundwater. Landfills comes into mind; buried beneath them are toxic chemicals from plastics which, drain out and seep into groundwater, flowing downstream into lakes and rivers.
Unknowingly, plastics attract other pollutants. Chemicals in plastic which give them their rigidity or flexibility (flame retardants, bisphenols, phthalates and other harmful chemicals) are oily poisons that repel water and stick to petroleum-based objects like plastic debris.
In some researchers conducted by the EMB Environmental Research and Laboratory Services Division, it was found that that large plastic items can entangle and kill a wide variety of organisms including mammals, sea turtles and fishes. Ingested plastic products (cigarette lighters, plastic bags, etc.) can harm seabirds, marine turtles and fishes.
“Plastic wastes is often mistaken for food by marine animals. High concentrations of plastic material, particularly plastic bags, have been found blocking the breathing passages and stomach of many marine species, including whales, dolphins, seals, puffins, and turtles. Plastic six-pack rings for drink bottles can also choke marine animals,” an international environmental group pointed out.
Another concern: microplastics, which are generally less than 5 millimeters in diameter. “(These) can harm juveniles fish which can ultimately harm fish stock,” Serafin said.
In addition, microplastics can provide the medium for the bioaccumulation of potentially toxic pollutants in the food chain. “Plastic particles can absorb industrial and agricultural pollutants causing damage to fish organs,” said Serafin.
The environment department is very much concerned with the forthcoming proliferation of microplastics that why it launched the project on assessment and management of microplastics in the country.
According to Serafin, the project aims to address the nature, magnitude, and geographic distribution of microplastics pollution in the country’s environment and selected coastline and marine organisms. In addition, it wants to address other pollutants like toxic chemicals that are associated with the microplastics present in the various environmental media.
But more importantly, the project wants to find some possible interventions to minimize the microplastics problem in the country.
Meanwhile, Serafin urged every Filipino to help minimize the use of the most common form of commercial plastics by bringing your own mug for coffee, brining glass drinking water, and avoiding disposable utensils.
She also urged everyone to buy foods in bulk or use reusable containers in buying food in the canteen. “Avoid plastic straws,” she recommended. “Replace plastic kitchen ware with glass or ceramic.”
