PART I
THE destruction of the environment, including the death of aquatic resources, should not be the price for the convenience given by the use of plastic products.
While plastic products have made modern living more convenient (and even less costly to some extent), the negative effects of plastic use on the environment, which in many cases also resulted in the loss of human lives, are serious threats to the survival of Mother Earth and of humanity. Such effects point to the need for both immediate and long-term actions.
We basically need to rethink the “value” we give to plastic products and see them not only in the terms of the convenience they provide but also in terms of how they affect our environment. The former should be subordinated to the latter. As stewards of Mother Earth, our convenience is not a justifiable reason for our failure to do our stewardship responsibility.
We do not have to totally abandon the use of plastic products as some of them can be used to protect the environment as well. As plastic is more durable than natural materials such as wood, the use of plastic allows us to minimize the depletion of natural resources.
However, when used only for one time, plastic products end up being a cause of environmental destruction instead of being a means to minimize the use of natural resources.
Given the less-than-desired-and-necessary system of waste disposal in our country, single-use plastic products cause environmental disaster such as water pollution that kills our marine resources.
Totally abandoning the use of single-use plastic products will go a long way in protecting our environment. Such is an action that should be made by each one of us.
We need to examine our way of life and determine the extent to which we “consume” single-use plastics.
Plastic and plastic-packaged products like drinking straws, shampoo sachets, chips, spoons, forks, knives, drinking cups, grocery bags, and food wrappers are only a few of the single-use plastic products that are part of our so-called modern-day convenient living.
Given the environmental destruction caused by single-use plastic products, it is not just a challenge but a responsibility for each one of us to say “no” to the use of such products to the extent that we can.
We should not use plastic straws, for example, when we can drink straight from the cup. Some business establishment have “straw-less days” to help save the environment but they opt not to totally abandon the provision of plastic straws because of “business reasons.” We, however, can do away with straws particularly when we drink pure liquids.
