As Christmas rolls in, choose to leave the plastics behind

In the Philippines, November is the soft-opening of Christmas. Malls glow with lanterns, tiangges overflow with gift bundles, and grocery carts roll out with spaghetti packs and quezo de bola, the “must have” for the Christmas meal.

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But November preparations also bring a quiet environmental cost. Long before noche buena, before the rush of Simbang Gabi or the chaos of Christmas Eve traffic, the plastic problem begins—right at the start of our holiday planning.

Anyone who has walked through the night markets of many cities and towns in November knows the familiar sight: mountains of plastic bags carried by shoppers ticking off their Christmas lists early. Even online shopping adds to the waste—packages wrapped in layers of bubble wrap landing at our doorsteps almost daily. By mid-November, waste collectors in many cities already notice the rise in garbage volume. And this is just the beginning.

Local scenes show the reality more clearly. In many barangays, the market’s alleys are lined with tenants restocking for the season: plastic sachets, plastic cups, plastic cutlery, plastic packaging for holiday food. The next day, the same plastics clog the drainage canals beside them.