No Plastic Policy

“To reduce plastic or to be a plastic,” that is the question.

The problems of indisposed garbage that are seen
everywhere have worsened the effects of the spreading
climate change. Some environmentalists are blaming the
uncontrollable usage of plastics. It pollutes throughout of
its production – beginning from extraction, refining,
usage and ending in their disposal. In fact, it does not only
impact our environment but also our health, livelihoods,
food and wildlife. That’s why, the uncontrollable usage of
plastics should be banned.
Plastics, though useful in many ways, have proved to
be extremely harmful to the environment due to one
single reason – they are non-biodegradable, which means
they do not decompose easily, making their disposal a
huge challenge. Our soil takes almost 500 years to
decompose one plastic bag. Burning them also does not
help as it releases poisonous gases into the atmosphere.
According to some report from Ellen MacArthur
Foundation, plastic production will continue to increase
25-billion-metric-ton mark in 2050. This is planned to
happen despite the fact that waste disposal and
management is still a huge problem. Moreover, some
environmentalists stated that it is not widely known that
an average of only 5% of the plastics can be recycled
while the remaining 95% of them finds its way in soils,
bodies of water or wherever they go.
In recent years, many corporations have offered the
methods of recycling, up-cycling and down-cycling to
curb the plastic problems but to no avail, because these
are neither possible nor sustainable solutions. Recycling
is not enough. Companies must eliminate and reduce the
amounts of plastic they produce while promoting
alternative packaging and distribution systems to their
consumers.
In 2001, the Philippines established a landmark law
– Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste
Management Act of 2001. Some people think that this law
is a model law because of its decentralized and
community-centered approach to waste and resource
management systems. In favor for Republic Act 8679 or
the Clean Air Act, R.A. 9003 bans burning or incineration
of wastes. In fact, the month January is considered as the
Philippine’s Zero Waste Month because this was the
month when Republic Act No. 9003 was put into law 20
years ago.
 However, despite being hailed as one of the world’s
progressive environmental laws, the implementation of
the 20-year old law has suffered from lack of political will
and contradicting policies from government agencies
involved in the waste and resource management.
According to the National Solid Waste Commission in
2015, wastes in the Philippine’s cities and municipalities
are mostly composed of 52% organics. Recyclables
comprise 28% while residuals (wastes that can’t be
reused, recycle or composted) are 18%.
Using plastics, especially plastic bags brought us
convenience. They are easy to carry, lightweight and
durable. But instead of using single-use plastics, we can
promote a greener community by using a woven bag
(bayong), paper bags, or we can just make our own
grocery bags. These alternatives can lessen the impact
the plastics can make.
Therefore, I have presented a clear demonstration
that the uncontrollable usage of plastic should be banned.
As can be seen with the information given above, the
banning of plastics can help lessen the impact it can bring
to our environment – the pollution, climate change and
others.
 When it comes in banning the usage of plastics,
the positive outweighs the negative. Transitioning to a
greener material on a personal, corporate, or
governmental level will not only help you save money but
also promote a cleaner, healthier environment for the
future.