The recycling of plastic and other solid waste should be given attention and support as it is a sustainable way of keeping trash out of the waste stream, and is a more productive option to an outright ban on plastic.
Speaking at the recent 1st Innovation Fair of SPIK (Samahan sa Pilipinas ng Industriyang Kimika), Crispian Lao, one of the private sector representatives in the National Solid Waste Management Commission, said recycling should be supported and practiced by the community, yet, there seems to be little public awareness of this or government efforts to encourage it.
He said proper solid waste segregation, recovery and recycling are mandated under Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
Yet, 10 years after it was passed, the mechanisms and incentives of the program have yet to be properly enforced, hence, the objectives of the Act have remained unrealized, he added.
“Recycling of solid wastes, whether plastic or paper, is climate smart because when you take them out of the waste stream, they can still be turned into new products,” pointed out Lao, who said the future is in recycling.
“Why leave plastic in the waste stream when there are so many applications for plastic?” he asked.
The commonly known applications for plastic trash are consumer items such basins, buckets, tables and chairs.
But plastic can also be converted into fuel, or when mixed with cement can be made into hollow blocks. Asphalt mixed with plastic is said to make road pavements stronger.
Lao, the former president of the Philippine Plastic Industry Association (PPIA), said the local plastic industry itself is into waste recovery and recycling and is supporting various community-based initiatives to encourage people to exchange their trash with cash.
The PPIA, he said, is working with the Archdiocese of Manila, various malls and other non-profit organizations to collect garbage for recycling.
In Dagupan city in Pangasinan, its program called ‘Bigas Ko, Plastic Mo, Palit Tayo’ has been successful and can be replicated in other parts of the country. [PNA]
