Groups repeat call for govt policies vs plastic pollution during ‘Month of the Ocean’
MANILA, Philippines — Environmental protection groups reiterated on Thursday their call for the enforcement of national policies against plastic pollution, as the world marks “Month of the Ocean” this May.
Oceana Philippines, Mother Earth Foundation, and the EcoWaste Coalition, in a joint statement, said the uncontrolled production and use of plastics, particularly single-use plastics (SUPs), and the improper disposal of these materials and other pollutants are threatening the world’s oceans.
“We need to draw up and enforce holistic policies to put a stop to this devastating pollution, as well as to the unrestrained coastal developments, overfishing and climate change that are damaging the oceans,” the groups said.
Atty. Gloria Estenzo Ramos, Vice President of Oceana Philippines, called for the inclusion of SUPs in the list of non-environmentally acceptable products and packaging (NEAP) that the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) is mandated to release under Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
She called on the commission to come up with the “long overdue” list of items that are “unsafe in production, use, post-consumer use, or releases harmful by-products when discarded.
Meanwhile, Sonia Mendoza, Chairman of the Mother Earth Foundation, cited the need for a toxics-in-packaging disclosure law that will control the presence of lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium and other chemicals of concern in packaging materials.
“Lead and other hazardous substances in packaging materials become part of the municipal solid waste sent to dumpsites, landfills, incinerators, and cement kilns or disposed of in water bodies, posing a risk to public health and the environment,” she said.
Mendoza also urged the commission to ensure that waste management plans of local government units include a provision promoting and making available to the public reusable bags made of non-toxic materials such as abaca, bamboo, buri, cotton, pandan, water hyacinth, and similar materials as alternatives to SUPs.
“Now more than ever, we see the need for a comprehensive policy banning throw-away plastic packaging to reduce their manufacture, prevent chemical and waste pollution and ensure the successful implementation of such a policy nationwide, while non-toxic reusable bags and containers are actively promoted and supported,” added Jove Benosa, Zero Waste Campaigner at EcoWaste Coalition.
Benosa also noted the urgency of adopting a national ban on waste importation and ratifying the Basel Ban Amendment, an international law prohibiting the transfer of hazardous waste and other wastes from developed to developing countries.
“The country’s exposure to continued waste imports is concerning,” read a report titled “Waste Trade in the Philippines” co-published by Greenpeace and the EcoWaste Coalition and released last March.
The report cited the unlawful importation of tons of contaminated plastic waste from Canada and South Korea, which were falsely declared as materials for recycling, as glaring examples.
The report added that preventing the entry of all waste imports into the country, including waste labeled for recycling, is the best strategy for countries like the Philippines to protect its citizens and the environment from the harmful impacts of waste dumping.
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