When it comes to plastic waste, it’s never truly gone when you throw it away, as proven by the amount of trash the Manila Bay spewed back inland during the recent typhoon that pounded the country.
During the Manila Bay Cleanup, organized by the Manila City government and Greenpeace Philippines as part of the Break Free from Plastic movement, almost a thousand of volunteers who participated picked up trash composed mostly of plastic.
The groups conducted a brand audit as an added step to the usual cleanup, wherein single-use plastics were assessed according to brands and companies that manufactured them.
According to Greenpeace Philippines campaigner Abigail Aguilar, branded plastic consistently tops their list when they audit the waste.
“The overwhelming number of volunteers in today’s clean-up and brand audit is a testament to our people’s commitment to do better and their resolve to take action against plastic pollution,” said Aguilar.
Wastes were picked up on the coast while Greenpeace inflatable boats collected waste from the waters of Manila Bay. The cleanup and brand audit intended to name the brands that end up in Manila Bay and ultimately our oceans.
The activity coincided with the belated celebration of the International Coastal Cleanup Day, after the original scheduled cleanup was cancelled due to Typhoon Ompong.
Greenpeace also conducted a rapid assessment of plastic wastes found in Pasig River after Typhoon Ompong. The group named Monde Nissin, JBC Food Corporation, and 7-Eleven the top three contributors of plastic waste in Pasig River
“Companies must reciprocate and step up in this fight. They are the missing piece in this global action against plastic pollution, and they can do better by reducing their production of single-use plastics,” asserted Aguilar.
Globally, a study said one truckload of plastic enters the ocean every minute, which yields at least 8 million tons of plastic leaking to the world’s seas every year.
