Philippines: plastics and pandemic
Audio 02:32
The Philippines is the third largest contributor of plastic waste dumped into the oceans each year.
(Illustration photo) RFI / Ariane Gaffuri
By: Manon Tomzig
6 mins
The Philippines is the third largest contributor of plastic waste dumped into the oceans each year.
And the amount of plastic waste generated by the country has increased dramatically since the start of the pandemic.
In question: protective equipment.
But also changes in consumption, linked to one of the longest confinements in the world.
Scientists and NGOs believe that this plastic crisis is the next humanitarian crisis.
Publicity
When he shows up to his patients, Eric is unrecognizable.
For each of his visits, this Filipino caregiver specializing in Covid home testing must put on full protective equipment.
All plastic.
“Wetsuit, mask, visor, gloves, overshoes, charlotte ... not to mention all the equipment we use. If you condense it all, it's about the size of a basketball. So imagine if you have five visits in the day, that's five waste basketballs, ”he
explains.
Sazzadul Haque is a researcher in civil engineering and environment in Dhaka.
He carried out a study on the production of plastic waste since the start of the pandemic.
Its results for the Philippines, representative of the whole of Southeast Asia, are worrying.
“There has been a 44% increase in waste from protective equipment and single-use plastic in the Philippines since the start of the pandemic. Waste that is not biodegradable and that takes 400 to 500 years to disappear,
”he worries.
The scientist does not question the need for medical protective equipment.
But he points to the message of the plastics industry.
“The plastics industry has done a lot of harm, ensuring at the start of the pandemic that the coronavirus does not survive on this material. This resulted in an increase in its production. But subsequent studies showed that the virus could survive on reusable materials like paper or clothing for a day. While it can stay on the plastic for more than four days, ”he
emphasizes.
In addition to the mask, the Philippines has made it compulsory to wear a visor.
It is the only country in the world to have done so.
A decision deplored by Marian Ledesma, activist for Greenpeace Philippines.
“This regulation is not reasonable. Some of these visors were not designed to be worn multiple times. We can estimate at three or four visors per person last year alone. Which represents several million pieces, ”she
says.
The repeated lockdowns are also pushing people to order online.
Which increases the mass of waste.
“In addition to meal deliveries, it has been found that more and more people are buying all kinds of things (from clothes to household products) on e-commerce platforms. This trend was already on the rise before the pandemic. The restrictions due to Covid have only worsened the situation. "
The researcher and the activist both believe that the priority is to promote reusable protective equipment and to ban single-use plastic.
This last recommendation has been heard: the House of Representatives has just voted a law in this direction.
Newsletter
Receive all international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
Philippines
Pollution
Environment
Coronavirus