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"ASEAN Versus the Rise of the Plastic Pandemic:

An Environmental Dilemma"

By Ma. Carla C. Cachuela

In 2015, world leaders established the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

to create a clean and safe environment for the world by 2030. Among the SDGs that are
relevant to the conservation of the environment and the promotion of green jobs in the
economy are SDGs no. 8 (Decent Work & Economic Growth), 11 (Sustainable Cities &
Communities), 12 (Responsible Consumption), 13 (Climate Change), 14 (Life Below
Water), and 15 (Life on Land). On account of the COVID-19 pandemic, SEA nations
enduring downward pressure on growth, such as the Philippines, remain determined to
achieve the 2030 SDGs, despite the insurmountable odds imposed by severe health
restrictions across the world.

During World Environment Day on June 5, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte

televised the reality that the Philippines' progress in achieving the SDGs has been
hampered by the pandemic, which could lead to a rollback in the country's performance
in global goals in plastic and waste management and disposal. The dilemma lies in
the versatility and affordability of plastics, which have been crucial to creating medical
equipment and protective gear to safeguard frontline workers and ordinary residents from
the virus. As nursing students, we frequently refer to the rise of single-use medical and
commercial plastics as the "plastic pandemic" or "lockdown litter." We saw firsthand how
healthcare institutions generate infectious plastic waste regularly from disposable masks,
face shields, swabs, latex gloves, syringes, specimen containers, and alcohol bottles.
Meanwhile, household plastic waste is generated due to food delivery and online
shopping, producing a lot of plastic garbage from disposable utensils, packaging, and
containers.

Despite the plastic crisis being not new in the Philippines, the pandemic has
impeded the country's initiatives to fully comply with the R.A. 9003 or Ecological Solid
Waste Management Act of 2000 and R.A 6969 or Toxic Substances and Hazardous and
Nuclear Wastes Control Act of 2000 due to the increased demand for proper waste
management of plastic waste products and treated infectious waste. Furthermore, the
Philippine Star Global newspaper reported that the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources is concerned that the surge of single-use plastics from the pandemic
may end up in the habitats of aquatic and land animals, resulting in microplastic
contamination in food chains. The lack. of legislative measures for appropriate plastic
management and disposal is not just the primary cause of the Philippines' stalled
environmental progress; the fundamental problem, however, is the attitude of its citizenry
toward garbage disposal. Under the RA 9003, nursing students like myself are instructed
to divert solid waste from waste disposal operations through segregation and recycling.
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Despite this, we continue to observe garbage collectors dumping segregated medical and
domestic wastes into the same garbage trucks and landfills.

To address the conflict between the significance of disposable plastics and their
harmful environmental impact, World Consumer Rights Day organized a campaign titled
"Tackling Plastic Pollution" last March 15, 2021. In this regard, Rachel Herrera,
Commissioner of the Philippine Climate Change Commission, sees the need to unify
standards for prohibiting disposable plastics across the country to manage
plastic pollution better. Today, Philippine politicians have introduced legislation to prohibit
single-use plastics in the nation, such as House Bill 8692, dubbed "Ban on Single-Use
Plastic Products." Although other ASEAN countries such as China and Taiwan are home
to the Formosa Plastics Group, a world leader in plastic materials, they did not stop green
initiatives by announcing a phased ban on various types of single-use plastic. In the long
run, a total ban on disposable plastics, beginning with plastic bags, can lead to
the reduction of the amount of plastic produced, consumed, and discarded globally. I
believe this is achievable for our ASEAN counterparts, as seen by the success of New
Zealand, Western Australia, and South Australia, all of which have a total ban in place.

Above all, I suggest that innovative leadership is critical for ASEAN and China to
incorporate the SDGs into strategic plans to reduce the plastic pandemic. Therefore, the
leaders of the ASEAN with the most plastic pollution, notably China, Indonesia,
Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand, should collaborate in managing plastic waste in Asia.
According to a World Economic Forum research, 8 million tons of wasted plastic end up
in the ocean each year, with the problem expected to increase by 2050. As a result,
leaders should seek to change the role plastic plays in daily life by prohibiting garbage
imports and raising recycling rates to counteract the rising tide of pollution. Leaders
should also enact stringent government policies that limit consumer usage of plastic items
to steer companies' conduct. Furthermore, providing business incentives and placing
taxes on the quantity and type of single-use plastics produced can also be a practical
approach for reducing plastic waste worldwide.