SOMETHING SMELLS
By: Lourdes Ledesma
It is such an innocuous thing, the plastic bag.. one hardly notices it. Used in supermarkets to bring home groceries; in the wet markets, to contain fish, meat, vegetables, rice, and fruit; in department stores, to wrap purchases, from threads to shoes, to carpets; in laundry stores, to encase gowns and anything dry-cleaned. The plastic bag in various forms and sizes, is so much a part of our lives, it seems we cannot do without it. It is ubiquitous…everywhere.. a part of our environment …we do not notice it. We even throw it after it has fulfilled its function of carrying our home our purchases…and promptly forget it. Unfortunately, it is not forgettable as part of our garbage. Thought the sanitary engineers collect it along with other refuse, it does not melt away or rot. It has life of its own. It reappears as an unending vista of many colors in our garbage dump.. it litters and clogs our drains, canals and waterways, to our endless frustration when the rains come and the waters rise to our doorstep and even in our living rooms. It appears as a forgettable seascape on our beaches and riverbanks, carrying out malodorous things. It is the main culprit blocking floodwaters from draining to the sea.
As much a product of our times and technology, it is a polymer, petroleum-based and rendered in wondrous forms for various needs… tough, transparent, colored, printed, opaque, from filmy to thick, and next to nothing in weight, replacing traditional materials such as wood, metal, and glass. It is photodegradable, but its lifespan is years. And yet, the downsize is, there is just too much of it, to the point that it is threatening to suffocate our lives and our health. If we consider that millions of plastic bags do not rot or go back to Mother Earth, where do they go?
It is known, though not visible fact, that ocean-going vessels dump their garbage on the high seas. Before reaching national waters, international ships usually dump perishables into the sea, and part of the garbage are plastic bags. Inter-island ferries likewise throw their garbage into the ocean, despite environmental laws that prohibit such practices. It is lamentable that plastic bags are washed ashore our beaches and litter them. Our oceans are now garbage dumps! It is not unusual to see many plastics bags coming in with the tide, along with bamboo twigs, coconut fronds and other flotsam. It is terrible that many sea creatures actually ingest these, mistaking them as food. As indigestible as far as plastic bags are as food, these actually cause the death of these animals, e.g. turtles, dolphins, sea birds. And if these plastic bags actually biodegrade over time and form part of the food chain, may not humans also be at risk, in the food that we harvest from the sea?
What is being done now to reverse this situation, one may ask? Regarding dumping in our seas, NOTHING! Who will police the oceans? At his moment, less than five percent of the world’s escalating population are aware of this growing danger, nor are concerned. Government leaders, especially in Third World countries where the danger is greatest, are too busy with politics. It is environmental groups who are raising public consciousness and concern. Government legislation and enforcement are slow to follow and address the problem. Environmental laws decree the proper disposal of garbage, including plastics and non-biodegradable materials. Yet the cure is too slow to curb the rising mountains of plastic bags anywhere. Prevention? Replacement of plastic bags with bio-degradable materials such as cloth or bamboo baskets, cartons, etc. reduction of usage this means market vendors do not voluntarily use plastic bags to put the purchases of their customers in. It follows that people bring their own containers, preferably, non-plastic, to market. It also means melting them down to make stepping stones, bricks, flowerpots, etc. All these practices are actually being done in some communities and towns in the Philippines, as in Kabankalan in Negros Occ. and in the Municipality of Sta. Barbara, in Iloilo, which has become a model community and a learning center for other communities who aim for the goal of zero waste.
Yet, this trend is too slow and not enough to correct the situation. Other countries have actually banned the manufacture and use of plastic bags. China, which has a population of over a billion…translate that into plastic bags…has banned free plastic bags! Because its manufacture is oil-based, China has reduced its national consumption of petroleum. Legislation? Why not? It is a drastic step fro a drastic problem. Ireland has taxed the manufacture and use of plastic bags in 2002, and has definitely reduced its consumption considerably. Canada, Israel, Kenya, Singapore, to name a few, have banned the use of plastic bags. The city of San Francisco, is the first U.S. city to ban it in 2007. Other cities are considering following its example.
In a democracy, where the market is free and what dictates of its supply and demand, the manufacture and use of plastic bags hinges on demand. If there was no longer any demand, by a consuming society, there would no longer be any need to manufacture it.
So, when all is said and done, the ultimate decision lies with us…will we decide today to save ourselves and our environment? Will we choose to leave our children a better future…a clean and safe environment? Like Hamlet faced with the decision…so are we: to use or not to use—that plastic bag!
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