Plastic waste reduction advocates kicked-off the Philippine Reuse Study Tour and Conference last week in celebration of Zero Waste Month in a bid to amplify the viability of reuse and refill solutions, as a way to address the scourge of plastic pollution.
The three-day event, consisting of a conference with reuse practitioners and other multi-sectoral stakeholders alongside site visits to reuse and refill programs across Metro Manila, was held at Hive Hotel in Quezon from January 20 to 22. It was co-organized by Mother Earth Foundation, Greenpeace Philippines, GAIA, Break Free from Plastic and Plasticdiet Indonesia.
The study tour aimed to address existing challenges and opportunities around reuse and refill systems, and show attending local government unit and government agency officials as well as private sector representatives that reuse and refill are not just sustainable and necessary, but also practical and doable.
Over 164 million sachets, 57 million shopping bags and 45.2 million plastic labo bags are used on a daily basis in the Philippines, with prevailing e-commerce and food delivery practices worsening the crisis.
Environmental groups have long called for reuse and refill solutions alongside bans on single-use plastics, particularly sachets, as these not only create litter and exacerbate floods but also pollute water sources and break down into harmful microplastics that find their way into our food and bodies.
Reuse and refill systems are upstream solutions that enable people to reuse packaging, eliminating the need for wasteful sachets and other throwaway containers.
When adopted at scale, reuse and refill can replace disposables and effectively reduce plastic waste. Reuse systems, together with the right policies to cut down plastic production and use, can address the plastic crisis at the root of the problem.
Refill and reuse are feasible and easy to implement. Initiatives such as Kuha sa Tingi, Juana Zero Express, Back to Basics Ecostore and a zero waste carinderia in Manila, prove that these are viable sustainable business models, something that can be done alongside city-wide plastic bans. Groups believe these could all be replicated and scaled at the national level.
The groups are calling on legislators and national government agencies, such as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to advance policies to institutionalize and mainstream reuse and refill systems.
With local government units and communities leading the charge in the campaign, green groups believe that it’s about time for lawmakers and businesses to act.