Philippines aims for Zero Waste to Nature

Southeast Asian countries are getting serious in implementing proper was management as the urgent call for environmental protection reverberates throughout the region. Government policies and private sector initiatives are being drawn up and implemented to alleviate the plastic waste crisis. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report takes the first comprehensive look at policies on packaging waste and standards in 10 countries in Southeast Asia. With over half of the land-based plastic pollution in our oceans originating from just five countries, four of which are in Southeast Asia, the environmental impact of plastic litter in the Asia-Pacific region alone costs its tourism, fishing, and shipping industries $1.3 billion per year, according to the UNEP report.

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The Philippines records over 17.5 billion plastics thrown out each year, most of them ending up in the ocean. Tagged as a “sachet economy” due to the popularity of products bought in sachets by consumers, around 60 million sachets are used and disposed of each year adding up to the plastic waste volume.

During the virtual conference “2021 ASEAN Manufacturing Summit: Creating a Circular Economy for Plastic ” held in May 2021, Crispian Lao, Commissioner and Vice Chairman of the National Solid Waste Management Commission, and Founding President of the Philippine Alliance for Recycling and Material Sustainability (PARMS), discussed the Philippine law on solid waste and how the private sector is taking part in the implementation of a zero waste to nature program.

The National Solid Waste Management Commission is under the Office of the President of the Republic of the Philippines, and Mr. Lao is the Private Sector Representative for the recycling industry. He is a strong advocate for the environment through proper waste management and the development of enabling policies to promote technologically and economically viable investments in support of sustainable production.

Solid waste management – meeting the target

At the virtual summit, Mr. Lao talked about the Philippines ’ law on solid waste, the state of solid waste in the Philippines, the Philippines National Action Plan on Marine Litter, and the Zero Waste to Nature Program initiated by the PARMS in collaboration with the business sector.