The country has a poor record regarding polluting discharges into the sea. Even before COVID-19, its ocean pollution rate was 3 times higher than that of India, the second most antisocial country in the world (36. 38% vs. 12. 92%). Marine waters are in danger, as is the valuable Coral Triangle. Raising public awareness remains a challenge.
Milan (AsiaNews) – When it comes to throwing plastic into the sea, the Philippines has few rivals and is struggling to find a solution.
In fact, although pollution is a growing fear not only in cities, it is a really serious challenge because it affects the sea, and this in a country where environmental awareness is low and waste recovery and recycling are underdeveloped.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippines had the highest percentage of plastic waste dumped into the ocean in the world, accounting for 36. 38% of global ocean plastic waste, 3 times more than the second-largest plastic polluter, India, which accounted for about 12. 92. % of the total.
This amount of plastic produced by just over a hundred million people begins in inland waters, from where the plastic flows into the ocean.
According to Earth. Org, one of the leading environmental information sites, the Pasig River, which passes through Manila, the most polluted in the world in 2017, dumps plastic waste into a sea known for its biodiversity at the highest point of the Coral Triangle . , and its 20,000 km² of coral reefs, highly exposed to pollution, as well as the fish species that inhabit them.
Inevitably, the risk is not only to the environment, but also affects the health of Filipinos, since some of all fish that are fed through humans contain microplastics.
Pass and provide awareness projects on 3 factors: the dangers to the public, the desire to decrease the use of plastics, and the desire to get rid of them.
Reducing the amount is connected to poverty in a country where at least 20 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line, with many surviving just above it.
As a result, many Filipinos prefer cheaper, i. e. smaller, alternatives. Large corporations benefit from this by offering products in small packages, exacerbating plastic pollution.
The third necessarily depends on the authorities. As noted by the Philippine Alliance for Materials Recycling and Sustainability, 70% of Filipinos do not have access to disposal facilities and dump plastic into the environment.
Existing legislation, starting with the Waste Management Act 2001, may be adequate, but it is not implemented and has in fact not achieved its objectives.
The reasons for the lack of enforcement of the laws are several: one of them is the strength of companies on consumers, who lack awareness, and the lack of conveniences to dispose of plastic.
In fact, recycling services are inadequate. If they existed in sufficient quantity, they could provide at least a partial solution to plastic pollution, but their lack deprives the country of a resource in the form of recovered materials.
The country has a poor record of polluting discharges into the sea. Even before COVID-19, its share of ocean pollution was 3 times higher than that of India, the second most antisocial country in the world (36. 38% vs. 12. 92%). Marine waters are in danger, as is the valuable Coral Triangle. Raising public awareness remains a challenge.