Ramping up the fight against plastic waste | The Manila Times

THE fight against plastic waste ramps up at the start of the year with the launch of two separate movements with similar goals and strategies last January. First, the National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP) Philippines is a broad platform that has organized a systematic collaboration between the government and the private sector. Second, the Philippine Chapter of the Asia Reuse Consortium consists of civil society organizations, government agencies and businesses. Both have crafted or are in the middle of formulating road maps that will see a significant reduction in plastic pollution that has been clogging our oceans, filling our dumpsters and damaging our health and environment.

Their work is cut out for them. During the NPAP launch on Jan. 23, Environment Secretary Maria Antonio Yulo-Loyzaga described their "immense" challenge: "The Philippines generates approximately 2.7 million metric tons of plastic waste each year." Leakage of the latter amounts annually to 500,000 tons. Plastic waste also makes up 12 to 24 percent of the 61,000 metric tons of general waste the country produces daily.