Goodbye Plastics and welcome Garbage management

AFTER the flooding problems everywhere, I could just encourage affected people with this: Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance in the rain. I am aware that those affected cannot laugh about this recommendation.

While it is good to see that quite a number of companies have responded to the call for sustainability in terms of changing their business model to address natural resource consumption, raw material selection, product packaging design, we certainly want more companies and organization to join the sustainability movement and help the country win the war against plastics.

Today I would like to highlight companies and organizations that have recently taken the plastic issue seriously, and site recommendations to address the garbage issue:

• The BSP takes out the trash the green way. The BSP is promoting proper waste segregation and educating employees on recycling practices.
• The DOST called for prioritizing national efforts and initiatives on research and development of seaweed-derived bioplastics, that can be broken down into harmless materials through natural processes. Seaweed farming needs to be extended to sustain seaweed supplies.
• The DepEd will teach solid waste management in schools.
• Environmental groups have called on the government to focus on waste-to-energy and avoid the unchecked flood of single-used plastics—sachets, Styrofoam and plastic bags. The government must also fully implement the country’s solid waste management laws.
• The Philippine National Police (PNP) offered its assistance (after the garbage flooding in Paranaque) to local governments enforcing their respective ordinances on waste disposal, including the provision of trash bins for biodegradable and non-biodegradable garbage.
• The DENR has ordered 155 companies to explain the failure to recover and recycle plastics.
• Without action from the local governments, this waste disposal problem will become even more unmanageable. Per the DENR, at least 48 percent of the 65,000 tons of waste generated daily nationwide ends up in waterways, bodies of water, and streets.

The future of sustainability—as can be seen by the above examples—is not driven by regulation alone. It may not be driven by activism, investor pressure, or corporate commitments alone. The real catalyst may be something much simpler. Sustainability gains momentum when companies discover that doing the right thing also happens to be good for business. In contrast, if companies do not focus on sustainability, they will fall behind! I look forward to seeing more organizations following those as listed above.

In conclusion, here are some prohibited acts to address the garbage issues:

• Littering, throwing waste matters in public places such as roads, sidewalks, canals, esteros or parks.
• Unsanitary collecting and trucking, open burning of solid waste, causing or permitting the collection of non-segregated or unsorted waste.
• Squatting in open dumps and land-fills. Open dumping, burying of biodegradable or nonbiodegradable materials in flood-prone areas.
• Importing toxic waste misrepresented as ‘recyclable’.

As I said in a previous column: make sustainability a purpose of business and society. And politics, please create and implement attractive policies that will strengthen these initiatives.

And let’s learn how to dance in the rain.

Let me have your reactions; contact me at [email protected]