Environmental awareness seemed to have been on an uptrend in the Philippines in the last three years. We’ve seen how reusable straws became the popular novelty Christmas gift in 2018, how our favorite coffee shops began offering discounts to customers who brought their own tumblers for their drinks, and how groceries have gradually allowed shoppers to use their own containers instead of wrapping their meat, fish, and poultry in single-use plastic bags. We seemed to be taking some major strides towards lessening the waste in 2019 only to be sent on a tailspin by the coronavirus in 2020.
Some establishments that used to incentivize bringing your own reusables instead of their take-out cups have now put this program. In my experience, I was allowed to transfer my beverage to my own cup, so we still generated waste even if I didn’t take it home with me. When I asked the staff about it, they said it was because they did not want to risk contaminating the food or spreading the virus with the multiple changes of hands. I believe the view about single-use face mask versus reusable face masks is about the same. You can throw away a single-use mask, whereas if you leave your reusable mask in your pocket or purse, you’re going to be leaving traces of viruses and bacteria in those places. It seems that the common view is that single-use items are more hygienic than reusables, but are they really?
Think about this. We throw out food packaging almost immediately after consuming its contents, leaving some food residue in it. I have learned that even recyclable materials cannot be recycled when they are dirty, so those things will probably end up in a landfill. Many other single-use packaging are made of mixed materials—combinations of plastic, paper, and aluminum, which are non-recyclable because it is difficult to separate the various materials, so those will probably end up in a landfill as well. Unlike medical facilities, households do not necessarily have clear protocols on disposing of used face masks, so those usually get mixed with other kinds of waste in a landfill and could potentially spread viruses. What we sometimes fail to realize is that there are people who live close to those landfills. Perhaps we could also consider the impact of our “hygienic” choices on them.
Understandably, we are probably not going to be able to avoid single-use products, so here are some simple practices that we might like to consider to still make a positive environmental impact:
1. Segregate our waste. Now that we spend more time at home, perhaps we can put in a more conscious effort in segregating our waste. Separate food leftovers from other wastes like plastic, glass, aluminum, and paper. Segregating will make retrieval of recyclables easier because they are not soiled with food waste.
2. Wash and dry our recyclables before putting them in the bin. As I have mentioned earlier, dirty plastic, glass, and foil cannot be recycled. Cleaning them will certainly take a lot more time and effort, but it will make segregating more effective.
3. Refuse single-use utensils and napkins when you order food for take-out or delivery. If we are taking the food home anyway, perhaps we could do away with the plastic utensils and straws and paper napkins.
4. Use reusable masks when we can. I understand that there are circumstances that single-use masks would be the safer option for us and those around us, but most of the time, cloth masks would be able to provide enough protection. If you have to take your mask off to eat or you need to replace it, be sure to put the used mask in a sealable bag to avoid contamination. Be sure to wash and sanitize them properly after every use.
Perhaps one of the things that the Coronavirus has taught us this year is to live more consciously. We learned to appreciate the time we spend with our loved ones because life is brief. We realized that we could not sacrifice our health and well-being for the sake of work. Perhaps making greener choices could be just another aspect of conscious living that we can adopt for a more sustainable world.
Liza Mae L. Fumar is a PhD in Business student of De La Salle University, where she also teaches Corporate Social Responsibility and Governance, and Leadership in Organizations. Her research interests include consumer behavior and green consumption. She can be contacted at liza.fumar@dlsu.edu.ph.
The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the position of De La Salle University, its faculty, and its administrators.