Law needed vs single-use plastics

A law is needed to phase out single-use disposable plastics and to signal society’s transition to clean production and sustainable resource use, according to an environment advocacy group.

The EcoWaste Coalition has proposed the expedited enactment of a law banning single-use plastics as coastal cleanup activities are being held this month in observance of the Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month.

“To stop the plastic and chemical invasion of the oceans, we renew our call for a ban on single-use plastics – from plastic carry-on bags, polystyrene food containers, drinking straws to coffee stirrers – that often end up polluting our water bodies,” EcoWaste Coalition Zero Waste campaigner Daniel Alejandre said.

“We also seek a ban on plastic microbeads in rinse-off personal care products that accumulate in the marine ecosystems and are mistaken for food by fish and birds,” he added.

The group also backed the effective implementation of Republic Act 9003, RA 9275 and RA 6969, three landmark pollution prevention laws that seek to protect the environment, including marine waters, from dumping and other prohibited acts.

“The government, industry, civil society and the citizenry have to get their act together toward the full enforcement of these laws and the elimination of marine pollution of all kinds,” Alejandre said.

Citing a United Nations report on “Marine Plastic Debris and Microplastics,” EcoWaste Coalition said 80 percent of all pollution in the sea comes from land, including some eight million tons of plastic waste each year, that have cost the lives of one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals.

“There is an obvious need for the national and local authorities to reduce our national garbage generation estimated at over 40,000 tons per day and ensure their ecological management to prevent plastics and other discards from entering the marine environment,” Alejandre said.

“Concerned industries and businesses have to step in, reduce plastic packaging, design toxic chemicals and wastes out of processes and products and take responsibility for their products at the end of their life-cycle, including their retrieval and recycling,” he added.

Proclamation No. 316 issued by President Duterte on Sept. 14, 2017 synchronized the commemoration of the National Fish Conservation Week with the National Maritime Day and the International Coastal Cleanup Day to raise awareness on maritime and archipelagic issues and concerns.