In truth, people throw away plastic waste each year that could encircle the earth four times over!
What doesn’t ends up in our already brimming landfills ultimately reaches our oceans, thereby affecting more biodiversity and natural resource.
The alarming part is that plastic waste is responsible for killing up to 1M seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals every year, but the saddening part to all this is that those numbers compose only a measly amount compared to the devastating and long-term effect (think 1000 years per piece) each plastic waste we throw away.
In the Philippines, numerous stakeholders have gradually adapted measures to become less reliant on plastic products.
Local government units in the country, especially in Metro Manila, have passed and are now implementing ordinances banning the use of plastic bags.
Malls, supermarkets, and retail establishments have shunned the use of plastic bags as well and have encouraged people to use “eco bags” while putting your purchase in a paper bag (you know, just like how they do it in the movies.
Restaurants and fast food chains have also pitched in, replacing disposable cups with paper ones and offering stainless utensils for every dine-in meal. Large manufacturing companies, especially in the food industry, have also opted to replace plastic packaging on their products with biodegradable material.
And it’s high time to do so, as a recent report suggests Pasig River is one of the biggest contributors of plastic waste in the world.
According to the Ocean Conservatory, the Philippines is part of five nations producing as much as 60% of waste found in seas worldwide!
So, for the good of the planet and the benefit of all living organisms in the face of the earth, it’s time to rethink how we use plastic.
It’s time to lock arms and join forces to beat plastic pollution!
Here are some of the interesting facts about plastic pollution and ways how we can beat it through this infographic from United Nations Environment Program.
