Resources on fighting plastics
Because we only have one planet and it is all of our responsibility to protect it, let us share some insights about the waste issue we currently are facing and especially the necessity to reduce plastic use.
Every minute, at least
1 million
PLASTIC BOTTLES
are being purchased. This resulted in around 25 million tons of plastic waste in 2023 only — most of which is not recycled and ends up in landfills where it takes about 450yrs to break down.
1 million
PLASTIC BAGS
are being thrown after a "working life" of an average of 15 minutes total. A single plastic bag can have a life expectancy of more than 1000 year, depending on where it will be left.
8 000
"PAPER" CUPS
are being used by the global leader in the coffee industry. 20 billions are estimated to be used by the total industry. Most paper take away cups are coated with plastic along with a plastic lid.
12
MARINE ORGANISMS DIE
from plastic ingestion or entanglement. This include sea turtles, whales, dolphins, fish, sea birds, corals, and many other.
Every minute, every second, we use plastic.
Why is plastic not fantastic?
Despite it being a relatively new material, our society has become severely addicted to plastic. Every year, plastic production keeps increasing, from 2 million tons produced in 1950, to over 390 million tons of plastic produced in 2021*. Less than 9% are recycled* and roughly half of our global annual plastic production is destined for single-use*. This has led to negative environmental, social, economic, and health consequences.
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Unfortunately, plastic waste is toxic and non-biodegradable. The same properties that make plastics so popular – their durability and resistance to degradation – also make them nearly impossible for nature to completely break down. Moreover, the photo-degradation process where the sunlight breaks them into smaller and smaller pieces takes a very, very long time.
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Because it takes so long to degrade almost all plastics that were ever created still exist.
WHAT ARE THEY?
Plastics are made from fossil fuels and contain toxic chemicals, for this reason burning it poses serious health and environmental concerns and is not a solution. With only a small fraction being recycled, most plastics continue to find their way towards crowded landfills.
WHAT ABOUT RECYCLING?
With only 9% of annual plastic waste recycled, the myth that we can recycle our way out of a mounting plastic pollution crisis doesn't add up. Around 85% of plastic packaging worldwide ends up in landfills.
What is your responsibility in it?
Find out by taking the quiz below
Which group do you belong into?
01
02
BUY IN BULK NO PACKAGING
The highest source of plastic waste producing more than 146,000 million tonnes of plastic per year and generating 141 million tonnes of waste (stats from OWD - 2015) is PACKAGING. One of the easiest way to reduce of waste generation is therefore to do our best to buy our needed produce without any added packaging.
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How?
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Go back to the local market, you will be able to buy your fruits, vegetables, rice and beans in bulk. In addition, you get to know where they are from, and can discuss & support local farmers. It's lovely and also good for your carbon footprint.
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You can also buy from zero-waste or bulk stores. This may be your old sari-sari store that traditionally even sold oil by containers or a more modern zero-waste store. There, they sell from basic food and kitchen items to hygiene or convenience products. A lovely one in Manila or Dumaguete is Ritual Ph.
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Some items will be harder to find with no packaging. Then, order big or share orders with your friends to minimize the waste over the year.
03
AVOID HIDDEN PLASTICS
There are plastics in things you wouldn't expect and sometimes it is easy to get confused. Many produce are common source releasing micro-plastics.
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Like what?
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Toothpaste with microbeads (small, solid, manufactured plastic particles that are less than 5 millimeters and don't degrade or dissolve in water) or laundry with microbeads, are common source of micro-plastic waste.
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Synthetic textiles are also important polluters, releasing microplastics in large quantities. Over 14 million tonnes of microplastics have accumulated on the world’s ocean floor according to research estimates. The amounts are increasing every year — causing harm to ecosystems, animals and people. About 16-35% of microplastics released to oceans are from synthetic textiles. Between 200,000 and 500,000 tonnes of microplastics from textiles enter the global marine environment each year. The majority of microplastics from textiles are released the first few times textiles are washed.
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Fast fashion accounts for particularly high levels of such releases because fast fashion garments account for a high share of first washes, as they are used for only a short time and tend to wear out quickly due to their low quality.​
04
BE A RESPONSIBLE CONSUMER
With recycling being a solution for an extremely small portion of the waste (and not yet implemented efficiently) , landfills being crowded with waste and the natural environment already being polluted with so much waste, there is only 1 reasonable thing to do.
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What is it?
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Upcycle? No. Upcycling is not a solution, nor a excuse for purchase in itself since it does not solve the disposal. it does however upcycling does have the benefit of increasing a product lifespan for waste that is already there.
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The only sustainable purchase, is the one you chose not to make. Let us learn to buy less, be less dependent on constantly consuming in order to fill satisfied and move forward a more minimalistic & simple lifestyle. With only the essential purchase, you would be surprise by how much room there is in our life for things that actually matter. Happiness is not bought. ​
61000 METRIC TONS OF WASTE EMITTED PER YEAR IN THE PHILIPPINES
2023 - Source
2.7 million tons of plastic waste generated in the Philippines each year
2021 - World Bank Source
Nearly 60 billion of sachets ARE USED PER DAY
2019 - GAIA Source
More than 17 billion of plastic grocery bags USED PER YEAR
2019 - GAIA Source
Though the Philippines is not a high producer of plastic waste compared to countries like Japan or Korea, its affection for the low cost and convenience of plastic sachets, thin labo wags and similar items are causing its waste production to rise. One of the issue the country is facing is the lack of efficient infrastructure in place (and related education) for waste disposal.
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What does this mean?
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About 20% of the plastic waste generated in the Philippines end up in the ocean every year. Based on 2021 World Bank report and Braganza, 2017; Ocean Conservancy & McKinsey 2015.
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Most of this pollution, however, is not due to a lack of waste collection sites. About 74% of plastics that leak into the ocean were initially collected but escaped from open landfills that are located near vulnerable waterways (WWF, 2018). ​
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"Lebreton and Andrady’s 2019 study projects scenarios of mismanaged plastic waste based on country level data on population and waste management and distribution. This global study clarifies the extent of current and future plastic pollution problems in each country, including the Philippines. In 2015 alone, the study estimates that the Philippines emitted nearly 5 billion kilograms of mis-managed plastic waste. With no additional interventions, the amount of mismanaged plastic waste in the Philippines is expected to almost double to 9 billion kilograms by 2040 and reach well over 11 billion kilograms by 2060" (source UNEP)
