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Jasmine Patricia Tan Yiu

Professor Roce Jane Limoso

English 12

22 January 2015

“ Implementation of the Plastic Ban in the Philippines”

P Although environmentalists have not looked into the idea of plastic as a

recyclable material, it can be another alternative for those people who still push for

the distribution of plastics available in the Philippines. What most people do not know

is how this material is being converted into reusable plastic. There is no safety

equipment, respiration, hard hats that will protect them during its operations. When

transported to the supermarkets, there is no assurance that the plastic is 100% clean

considering the hygienic and safety procedures. It is difficult to become environment

friendly when this material may contain bacteria and diseases detrimental to our body.

(Alan 31-36)

D Plastic bags take such a long time to decompose that the Progressive Bag

Alliance study listed them as non degradable, and even when they do "breakdown,"

small particles are still left behind. Plastic bags are often ingested by marine life that

destroys our aquatic environment. Another major problem with plastic bags is that

many cities refuse to recycle them due to high cost and little economic benefit. This is

because "recyclable" plastic bags are never truly recyclable. They can only be "down-

cycled" meaning that recycled plastic bags can only be used to make more plastic

bags, which can then no longer be recycled. (Wong 4)

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P Turner and Sutton said that one of the reasons why plastics should be banned is

the extra cost that can be used for varied purposes in life. How much could we have

saved from using a recyclable bag when going to the supermarket? It is not necessary to

spend an extra P10 when the next thing you do after using the plastic bag is to throw it in

a trashcan and end up increasing the amount of litter in the landfills. (34)

S Turner and Sutton said that paper bags should never be considered to be an

alternative for plastic bags because firstly, trees are a finite resource. The Philippines

does not have the means to convert all the plastic bags to paper since trees are limited and

these operations will destroy the eco-system as a whole. (43-44)

P Majority of the supermarkets uses high-density polyethylene bags. It is multi-

purpose but only live at a short time, which shows that it increases the amount of waste in

the country. The plastic bags can be reused at a rate of 40-60% and is mostly used as

trash bags in the household. (Canadian Plastics Industry Association)

P A plastic bag is defined as a portable material (easy to bring around whether in

the mall or in the supermarket). Also, it occupies less than 1% of the overall waste of the

landfills. People mostly find this material as one of the issues of pollution. They do

contribute to this cause but it does not occupy all the space that it becomes a major issue

to take into account. Littering happens when people dispose of their waste in an unfitting

manner. There should be discipline with regards to Filipinos before banning these plastic

bags in the first place. Many people also accuse plastic bags to be one of the major causes

of destroying the aquatic environment. This is actually not true. Ropes, fishing

accessories pose even a greater threat to these animals. Turtles most often get caught up
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in nets that they have a hard time to be free from it. A photograph of a turtle eating a

plastic bag can only be seen once in a full moon but this picture has been shared several

times. It is this misconception that people do not delve into that makes them believe that

they do not have the right to ban plastic bags. (6)

P Clapp and Swanston say that plastic bags pose a great environment challenge

based on its physical and chemical traits. This material is made from petroleum goods in

which it implies a detrimental factor, which results to climate change. According to US

statistics, 12 million barrels of oil are used to make 100 billion plastic bags. The impact

of these plastic bags poses a great threat to the environment if this production will push

through. Plastic bags may be given around 1000 years to break down. If we continuously

use this material as our bags, it will be hard to find room for these plastics to decompose.

Second, this material is a health threat to the environment. This kind of bag can carry

diseases and many more when they clog the sewers of different roads and highways.

Third, they are harmful to the interaction with animal habitat. When plastic bags

decompose, they “photodegrade”. This principle involves the breaking down of the

composition into even minute pieces, which can be consumed by animals that thrive in

natural habitat. (317-318)