‘Oxy-biodegradable bags bad for environment’

ENVIRONMENTAL advocates from EcoWaste Coalition call for a nationwide ban on the use of plastic bags in front of the Quiapo Church in Manila on Monday. NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines—Don’t be confused, it’s still plastic.

“Oxy-biodegradable” or “oxy-degradable” plastic bags that are allowed in cities enforcing a plastic ban just like Makati City are not environment-friendly.

EcoWaste Coalition president Sonia Mendoza explained the other day that despite the label, these bags were “made from the same raw materials of conventional plastic bags such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and polysterene (PS).”

An oxy-biodegradable plastic bag contains additives which allow the breakdown of long polymers into short polymers, she said. The bottom line, however, is that these bags do not decompose.

Mendoza added that these bags were even more dangerous than the conventional plastic bags as they were not recyclable and could get integrated into the environment.

Aquatic animals may also consume the dangerous particles, said Aileen Lucero, national coordinator of EcoWaste.

These and other information were released by the group on Monday in a report on plastics at the Quezon City Hall.

Mendoza said their aim was to inform the public about the adverse effects of plastics on health and the environment and the importance of the nationwide plastic ban.

A total of 38 cities and municipalities have already implemented a plastics ban in their areas. Ecowaste has called for a national plastic bag ban that will phase out all kinds of plastic bags through the passage of House Bill No. 3511 and Senate Bill No. 2415.

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