International Zero Waste Month, ipinagdiriwang ngayong buwan ng Enero
International Zero Waste Month, ipinagdiriwang ngayong buwan ng Enero;
Plastic free na Pilipinas, paano kaya natin ma-a-achieve?
Plastic free na Pilipinas, paano kaya natin ma-a-achieve?
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NewsTranscript
00:00 The Philippines generates more than 2.7 million tons of plastic waste annually.
00:07 This is according to the 2021 report of the World Bank Organization.
00:11 And now, International Zero Waste Month,
00:14 one of the goals of this campaign is for the Philippines to be plastic-free.
00:19 But before we talk about that, let's first watch this.
00:23 In this world, the rise of modern life is accompanied by
00:28 more plastic that becomes part of our daily activities.
00:33 From household items to plastic water bottles
00:37 that we often carry around.
00:40 It's hard to get rid of the presence of plastic.
00:43 In our desire to be eco-friendly,
00:45 many of us are repeatedly using plastic bottles
00:49 that we may not notice the amazing effect on us.
00:54 So this morning, let's find out the hidden dangers of the repeated use of plastic bottles
01:00 here in Rise and Shine Philippines.
01:03 And now, we have with us,
01:08 Ma'am Leia Austria, the communications campaigner of Plastic-Free Philippines.
01:13 Good morning and welcome to Rise and Shine Philippines.
01:15 This is Dayan and Audrey.
01:17 Good morning, Dayan. Good morning, Audrey.
01:20 Thank you very much for having me here.
01:23 Ma'am, what is the short-term and also long-term effect of our continuous use of plastic?
01:30 Aside from our environment, what is the effect of this on the health of the people?
01:35 Okay, thank you for your question.
01:38 Actually, this is an important question for all of us Filipinos.
01:42 If you don't know, the Philippines is number one in terms of plastic pollution in our oceans.
01:51 As mentioned earlier, a ton of plastic is being dumped by the Philippines to the whole world.
01:58 And one of the main concerns here is that because plastic is made up of so many chemicals,
02:06 which are not yet fully made up,
02:09 and we truly understand the effects of the chemicals used in plastic.
02:15 Now, we are discovering that it has a lot of effects not only on the environment,
02:21 not only on other animals, plants, and soil, but also on people.
02:27 There is a recent study that showed that there is a plastic effect.
02:35 Now, there is microplastic, there is nanoplastic.
02:38 The plastic that is in the sand, in the water, and all of that is absorbed and eaten by humans.
02:48 Not only us, but also the children, the babies.
02:52 There are also studies that show that even breast milk can be absorbed by nanoplastic and microplastic.
03:03 And of course, the effect of plastic is purely on metals. It is not a natural thing.
03:09 It is not an organic material that can be digested and absorbed by our body.
03:14 That is why this effect is being fought by our body.
03:18 One of the main health concerns is the effect of this and the production of cancer,
03:25 the change in the hormone activity of our body,
03:28 which of course has an effect on different parts of our health,
03:33 on reproductive health, on the growth of a person or a child,
03:38 and even on our own thinking, it also affects the plastic.
03:44 There are many reasons for us not to use plastic.
03:49 Because if we use alternatives, it will be good not only for the environment, but for our health.
03:56 But Ms. Lea, here in the Philippines, we have been trying to reduce the use of plastic for a long time.
04:03 We are encouraging the use of eco-bags and straws.
04:07 As much as possible, don't use it.
04:09 Paper straws are what we use most of the time.
04:13 There are also paper straws.
04:14 Is it really possible for us to be plastic-free here in the Philippines?
04:18 And if it's yes, how long do you think it will take before this happens?
04:24 Actually, plastic...
04:27 Oh, Ms. Lea cut the line.
04:31 Since 1904, I think, 1907.
04:33 So, plastic has only been around for 100 years.
04:37 But it's already a big problem in the whole world.
04:40 Here in the Philippines, and in the whole world, we are doing something.
04:45 This November, Eco-Waste became part of the Global Plastic Treaty,
04:51 an international convention that is attempting to create a way
04:57 to help the whole world to solve this problem.
05:01 Here in the Philippines, you are right in saying that we have done a lot.
05:07 We passed laws and ordinances in the localities to fight the plastic.
05:13 But here in the Philippines, there are still many people who are pending bills and orders
05:22 to continue fighting the pollution of plastic.
05:28 If you ask me how long it will take, it will take a long time.
05:32 Maybe it will take a while if we don't all work together to find a solution.
05:39 The Philippines and the Eco-Waste Coalition are working together
05:45 to fight this problem, especially our education programs.
05:51 We all think that plastic is disposable.
05:58 After we throw it away, it's gone.
06:03 But that's not the case.
06:04 That's where our problem starts.
06:09 Even when we choose to use plastic, it's a problem for us.
06:16 What we want to help and urge all of our viewers and our fellow Filipinos is
06:24 that we all have a responsibility towards the plastic as consumers.
06:30 We also need to encourage and invite companies that use plastic,
06:42 including our government, to be responsible for our processing,
06:49 production, disposal, and even redesign of our entire system of plastic consumption.
06:58 I said earlier that plastic is only 100 years old.
07:02 But if I imagine now, can I live without plastic?
07:07 Yes, we can.
07:08 More than 100 years ago, we were able to live well, properly, and responsibly without plastic.
07:18 We can do that.
07:20 This is a big job for all of us.
07:24 Ma'am, what can we do to reduce or stop the use of plastic?
07:35 In the Eco-Waste Coalition, we have a new policy.
07:40 We just posted this recently.
07:42 Maybe when we were young, we knew about the 3Rs of reduce, reuse, and recycle.
07:52 Now, we have 5Rs of sustainability that we want to push and urge our fellow Filipinos.
08:00 First of all, we will start reducing plastic use from refuse.
08:06 What are the plastics that I can live without?
08:11 We will be committed to refuse to use it.
08:18 There are many alternative things.
08:21 Next is reduce.
08:23 If you will not use plastic, but you still use plastic,
08:28 we need to reduce our hope or our dependence on plastic use.
08:35 For example, who are the people here who have reusable utensils, tumblers?
08:46 We should have a container for our office, school, or for our jogging.
08:55 Instead of buying a bottle from the store, you should have a container with a weight for your exercise.
09:03 The next R is reuse of our utensils.
09:09 How can we maximize the lifespan and use of our plastic?
09:21 We should not throw it away.
09:22 If we use it, we should throw it away.
09:24 That is what really adds to the problem of plastic.
09:27 We need to think about how we can repurpose it or reuse it so that it will not be wasted.
09:36 Recycling is a big effort.
09:43 It will help all the plastic that we will create in the Philippines.
09:53 Only 9% or 10% of the plastic will be recycled.
09:58 If our viewers can help in recycling, that is a good thing.
10:05 We can recycle small items.
10:08 If you use a plastic, you can see a triangle with a number.
10:17 It is important to know what kind of plastic you are using so that we can recycle it.
10:24 Actually, there are 7 kinds of plastic.
10:26 We know all the different kinds of plastic.
10:31 If you want to help in recycling, it is important to know what kind of plastic it is and how to recycle it.
10:39 For example, this plastic bottle.
10:42 What kind of plastic is it?
10:44 Most of our viewers know what a PET bottle is.
10:51 But in reality, PET bottles are just the same bottle.
10:55 The label is different.
10:56 This is the cap of the bottle.
11:01 PET bottles are usually brought to our recycling facilities and to the waste pickers.
11:08 But as consumers, we need to make sure that it is clean.
11:16 We have a little bit of plastic here, but we need to make sure that it is clean and dry before we bring it to the waste pickers or recycling facilities.
11:26 So that it can be recycled completely.
11:29 If it is not cleaned before you throw it away, it will be a mess.
11:36 There are parts that are rotting, bacteria that grow, and other things.
11:41 It can be difficult or impossible to recycle these plastic products.
11:49 So as consumers, as much as you can, if you want to help in recycling,
11:55 it is important to clean, wash, and dry your plastic products before you bring it to the waste pickers.
12:05 Ms. Leia mentioned that the 5 hours of sustainability is important in our lives.
12:11 If we can help our environment with that 5 hours of sustainability,
12:17 Ms. Leia, thank you for sharing your advocacy with us.
12:24 Thank you for joining us here in Rise and Shine Philippines.
12:27 Thank you, Ms. Leia.
12:28 (upbeat music)