FULL CAPACITY Rizal Park is jampacked with merrymakers on Christmas Day as it is one of the few places open to the public free of charge. —Richard A. Reyes
An environmental watchdog has called anew for the passage of a law banning single-use plastics nationwide after heaps of trash were spotted at public parks and other recreational areas the day after Christmas.
EcoWaste Coalition issued the appeal after mounds of garbage, composed mostly of plastic bags, bottles and cups, were found at Rizal Park in Manila and Marikina Riverpark in Marikina City.
The trash, which had to be hauled away in trucks by government workers, were left behind by merrymakers.
According to the National Parks Development Committee which looks after Rizal Park, at least 10 truckloads of garbage were collected in the area.
Aileen Lucero, national coordinator of EcoWaste Coalition, said the grim post-Christmas scene should be a fair reminder for the national government to enact a legislation to curb plastic use.
“A national ban on single-use plastic is both a climate change mitigation measure and a disaster risk reduction response,” she told the Inquirer on Wednesday.
In 2015, the Philippines was the third largest contributor to ocean plastic, according to a report by international group Ocean Conservancy and McKinsey Center for Business and Environment.
Another study published in the journal “Science” in the same year revealed that the country wastes over 6,800 tons of plastic daily.
Senate bill filed
In November, Sen. Loren Legarda filed Senate Bill No. 1948 that pushed for the phaseout of single-use plastic products by prohibiting their importation and use in food establishments, stores and retailers.
Lucero said the law would not only significantly reduce the country’s waste generation but would also trim down waste management costs.
“[It will also] minimize correlated environmental threats such as flooding and marine pollution,” she added.