PLASTIC wastes now inundating the world may not just be an environmental problem. It is turning out to be a health problem as well.
Findings of 52 studies by scientists indicate that people around the world are now ingesting an average of five grams of microscopic plastic particles every week, from the tap and bottled water they drink, from beer and salt, and from the shellfish they eat. “Not only are plastics polluting our oceans and waterways and killing marine life. It’s in all of us,” said Marco Lambertini, director-general of WWF International which commissioned the report released last Wednesday.
Previous reports said whales and other fish had been found dead on beaches with plastic wastes in their stomachs. One report said some fish had been found with microscopic plastic particles in their flesh, thus posing a danger to those who might eat them.
Most plastic wastes end up in landfills or get washed out to sea. In 2017, Greenpeace reported a finding that China, Indonesia, and the Philippines were the three worst plastic polluters of the world’s oceans, as they are the foremost users of plastics like softdrinks straws, grocery bags, bottles and bottle caps, and medical sachets. Three United States companies were said to be the top makers of products packed in cheap disposable plastics.
The report on microscopic wastes should move the world’s scientists to step up their research to discover means to produce plastics that are biodegradable so these will cease to pose the danger they now pose. India, Australia, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, and the US are developing technology to process plastic wastes into asphalt mix for road construction. In the Philippines, a multi-sectoral coalition – the Philippine Alliance for Recycling and Materials Sustainability – has been organized, dedicated to finding ways to solve the problem of plastic waste.
Early this week, Coca Cola Philippines announced it is setting up a P1-billion recycling plant that will begin operations next year. It will collect and recycle all its bottles and cans and take in other plastic products from other corporations. Coca Cola already has such a plant in Mexico; the Philippine plant will be its first in Southeast Asia.
Nestlé Philippines has launched a pilot program in Valenzuela City to recover single-use plastics and turn them into construction materials. The global company is redesigning its product packaging to be 100 percent recyclable by 2025.
It is good to know that the world is finally waking up to the danger posed by plastic wastes and that the Philippines is taking an active role in the effort to solve it. The many other business operations in the country should join in the effort. They may not have the means to recycle plastic wastes, but they – along with ordinary Filipino consumers – can help by minimizing their use of single-use plastics like softdrinks straws.
