This year’s Earth Day is an urgent call to face a deadly challenge. The theme Planet vs. Plastics aims to spread awareness of the indestructibility of plastics and the hazards they pose to our health, the lives of our ecosystems, and our ability to take effective climate action.

The Philippines produces around 2.7 Million tons of plastic waste each year. Most of it ends up in landfills, dumpsites, our rivers, and our water supply systems. However, about 20% of this ends up in our oceans. Over and above our organic waste, plastic for our market needs, food wrapping, and packaging for our consumers all make up the 61,000 metric tons of solid waste we produce daily. When the rains come, we are literally swimming them.

But on a daily basis, we consume plastics in the fish caught in our seas, through the substandard water bottles we use and in the very air we breathe. Microplastics have been found in raindrops and are being studied for their impact on clouds and climate change.

Many are unaware that plastics have traditionally been made from oil, natural gas, or coal, the very fossil fuel sources that have driven climate change. They are also unaware that studies have shown the Philippines loses around US$890 Million every year because we throw away recyclable plastic instead of repurposing it.

To address this issue, our government passed the Extended Producer Responsibility Act of 2022 or the EPR Law. This shifted the burden of collecting used plastic from the local government to the producers and manufacturers themselves. Over 800 large-scale companies have registered and committed to reducing plastic use through the substitution and development of sustainable packaging solutions, and collection, treatment, and recycling initiatives, They have also committed to education and raising awareness of the environmental impact of plastic pollution.

But the government and the corporations cannot do it alone. Transformation towards a plastics-free world begins at home. Experts and universities must also do their share. Sustainable and affordable alternatives must be found along with changes in production and consumption. In developing countries like ours, solid waste management is an informal industry. The welfare of waste workers must also be part of a just transition that leaves no one behind.

Together, we can win this battle of planet vs. plastics. Every step we take counts, and we will need to work as one. It is our choice to act today or let our plastic waste determine our tomorrow.

Earth Day must be every day. We will fight to win the war of Planet vs. Plastics. We must embrace the Environment for Life.

Reference from the World Bank: https://tinyurl.com/WB-Market-Study-for-the-PH