Lio, ENR find ways to reduce consumption of plastics

REUSABLE drinking straws made of bamboo, rather than the usual plastic, are quickly becoming the gifts visitors to the Lio Tourism Estate in idyllic northern Palawan bring home to friends. The items, which come with a cleaner, are not only novel and affordable, their availability also signals the transformation of this thriving Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) community towards being a plastic-free tourist destination.

Along with the plastic straws sold at Lio’s artists’ village, the ubiquitous disposable plastic water bottles favored by travelers can no longer be found there or in the neighboring sitios of El Nido municipality following the implementation in December 2018 of an ordinance banning single-use and other plastics.

Mariglo Laririt, director for sustainability of ALI subsidiary Ten Knots Development Corporation, shared that respecting the natural environment has always been a cherished value of the company since its founding in the ‘80s. Ayala Land acquired the subsidiary in 2010.

She said: “Implementing the ordinance was a natural progression of our other eco- friendly initiatives. These have included creating awareness among TKDC staff and the surrounding community the dire need for conservation; water recycling; sewage treatment; solid waste management, and related topics.”

Waste management is such serious business in Lio and the island resorts that the company consciously measures its gains in this area. Joey Bernardino, TKDC group director for sales and marketing, shared that by the end of the year, its properties will have cut back on the annual use of 20,000 pieces of plastic straws and 65,000 pieces of disposable plastic bottles.

The straws have been replaced with paper ones; and the plastic bottles, with reusable water flasks guests may refill in water stations throughout the resorts. In the guest rooms, plastic containers for shampoo and soap have been exchanged for refillable pumps that hold the cleaning agents.

Mr. Bernardino shared that employees in the four El Nido Resorts (ENR) and the four boutique hotels in Lio have also been banned from bringing sachets or plastic bottles of shampoo. “This and other measures have drastically limited our output of single-use plastics into the ecosystem.”

Single-use plastics are not biodegradable, pointed out Ms. Laririt. They end up in landfills where they are buried or, through waterways, find their way into the ocean.