WALA PLASTIKANAY!

SOMETHING SMELLS

By Gigi M. Campos

Plastic bags are everywhere! Everyday, we are handed countless plastic bags: when we go to the sari-sari store, a flea market or ukay-ukay, a book store, or an eatery. Why, because plastic bags are convenient --  they are water resistant, light and inexpensive compared to paper bags. Yet most of the time, plastic bags are actually superfluous and avoidable. So why does it seem that sales clerks are ever so eager to hand out plastic bags for any and all kinds of purchases, big or small? Sometimes, a plastic bag may not just be necessary for that  inasal you are about to eat or that soft drink you are going to drink right away. Here are some  questions we should ask ourselves whenever we are handed a plastic bag:

o   Do I need to take as many plastic bags when I go to the grocery?

o   Do I need a plastic bag for an item purchased that is already well packaged by the manufacturer?

o   Could I bring my own shopping bag when making purchases?

Plastic bags are the cause of major environmental concerns. Statistics show that we are consuming more and more plastics every year. It is estimated that an average individual uses around 130 plastic bags per year.  Most of them go straight to our landfill and a very small percentage of plastic bags are actually recycled. A reduction in our use of plastic bags is essential in solving the environmental problems stemming from them.

Plastic bags and packaging account for a major part of our waste in landfills. More importantly, plastic bags are one of the top items of litter on our community beaches, roads, sidewalks, and vegetation along with cigarette butts and styrofoam. Plastic bags are light and hard to contain. Because of their light weight, plastic bags fly easily in the wind, float along readily in the currents of rivers and oceans, get tangled up in trees, fences, poles, and so forth, blocking our drainage. As we have realized, garbage thrown in our waterways is one of the major causes of flooding.

          And there is virtually no market for recycling plastic bags especially the most common in use, the very thin “sando” plastic bags. Very few recycling centers accept plastic bags because they are of little recyclable value. On the other hand, most paper bags are made from recycled paper. There is a profitable market in paper recycling and the paper bags can be used and recycled. In addition, this promotes "Buying Recycled" which is the only way that recycling efforts will ever become successful.

The best alternative to using plastic bags is using cloth bags and degradable bags. Businesses will save on cost in providing plastic bags when consumers use less of them and bring their own bags. SM Supermarket and Unilever launched last June  a project called Greenbag campaign in response to the country's solid waste issue. Under the SM Concerned and Responsible Eco-shoppers (SM Cares) campaign, SM Supermarkets encourage consumers to use a reusable, green, non-woven bag as a replacement for plastic shopping bags when shopping at the mall. And it offers its Advantage Card holders additional points for using the Greenbag.

 

         The international crisis, which plastic bags are creating, is indicated by the fact that most nations recognize the problem and are making strong attempts to eliminate the use and production of plastic bags. Many countries in Europe and Asia are attempting to eradicate plastic bags -- like eradicating pests such as rodents and cockroaches.  Some are banning plastic bags altogether while others are implementing a tax on plastic bags to decrease their use such as in Bangladesh. They were found to have been the main culprit during the 1988 and 1998 floods that submerged two-thirds of the country. The problem was that discarded bags were choking the drainage system. India also eliminated the use of plastic bags to prevent them from littering the streets and clogging up the city's sewerage system. As a result, merchants have switched to recycled paper bags and litter in the city has been reduced considerably. 
In Ireland, a tax on plastic bags was introduced. Essentially, each plastic bag handed out costs the consumer an extra 15 cents. After the tax scheme began in March 2002, it is estimated the plastic bags available at stores have been decreased by 90%.

 

These are great success stories from various countries working out the problem of plastic bags. They have set examples on how a ban or a tax on plastic bags may work. What are we doing about this problem? It’s about time our city officials seriously look into banning plastics or putting a tax on plastic bags. The recent floods in 2006  and 2007 that inundated 60% of  our city should be reason enough to do this immediately. 

The most effective way of reducing the amount of plastic litter in the environment is to reduce our consumption.  It’s these very plastic bags that block sewage passages and create pools of water that transform into a breeding ground for mosquitoes resulting in dengue and malaria. Let’s begin today by refusing a plastic bag when making a purchase, especially if what you are buying can fit in your pocket or bag.  Better still, bring your own bag.  Keep it handy by having it with you in your vehicle, in your knapsack or handbag.

A heavy plastic tax should be implemented to hit people where it hurts them the most - their wallets!! With the economic meltdown affecting economies world-wide, it’s time to go back to the basics.   How about carrying our purchases the good old Filipino way – in bayongs, just as our grandparents did not too long ago.  As consumers, how long will we have wait for our city officials to tackle the problem of plastic bags?  We know the snail pace by which our bureaucracy moves and we have also seen first hand the distorted priorities of the present dispensation. 

Our earth is under threat of being destroyed by the internal greed of those that inhabit it. And in the politics of today where we see the winner-take-all system dominate, this greed for power, money and glory is what relegates the important and pressing issues like flooding, garbage and illegal squatters to the background.

But let us not be afraid that we cannot make an impact. We live in a democracy. Our involvement can shape policy. Taking care of the world we live in is our responsibility. The beauty of God’s  creation is ours to enjoy but with this gift comes a responsibility. Mahatma Gandhi said, "Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed." Let’s pray that change will come soon -  if not from law restrictions of government then from our own individual efforts. The most important contribution to this campaign will come from you and me! 

So there, you still want to use plastic?