The Ecowaste Coalition on Saturday urged the Department of Education to ban the use of disposable plastic bags and polystyrene or foam products in school premises to promote zero waste. The appeal came in time for the opening of classes on Monday.
“The education department has a clear task under the law to strengthen the integration of environmental concerns in school curricula at all levels, with particular emphasis on the theory and practice of waste management principles like waste minimization, among others,” said Christina Vergara, the group’s Zero Waste program officer, referring to Section 56 of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 or Republic Act 9003.
“Disposable plastic bags and polystyrene are highly problematic in terms of their management, making them non-environmentally acceptable. They usually end up as residual wastes with nowhere to go but the dumps, adding to the already voluminous polluting garbage there,” she said.
The coalition has observed that many local governments have seen the importance of waste minimization by banning or, at least, regulating the use of disposable plastic bags and polystyrene.
“These local government units are correct, since after you have undertaken composting and recycling, you usually find yourself wondering how you would ecologically deal with plastic bags and polystyrene,” said Vergara.
“Also, plastic bags and polystyrene cannot truly be recycled back to their original form, rather they can only be downcycled into products that are of low quality,” she explained.
To make schools free from the burden of dealing with disposable plastic bags and polystyrene, the EcoWaste Coalition advised school administrators to come up with policies with at least the following minimum provisions:
a) Phase out of disposable plastic bags and polystyrene, such as polystyrene cups, styro plates, fork and spoon, inside school premises;
b) Use of reusable containers or packaging for students and school personnel’s “baon”;
c) Use of reusable table wares instead of disposable ones in school canteen;
d) Use of reusable plates, utensils, and containers during school meetings, gatherings, and parties.
The group said these policies should go hand-in-hand with the implementation of ecological solid waste management, namely segregation, composting, recycling, and reuse, in the school, to truly attain zero waste. Some of the schools that have adopted policies banning disposable plastic bags and polystyrene are De La Salle University – Dasmarinas, Cavite; Calalay Memorial Elementary School in San Francisco del Monte, Quezon City; St. Scholastica’s College in San Fernando City, Pampanga; and all public and private schools in Batangas City, Batangas.