he United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on World Environment Day 2018

rallied support for their #BeatPlasticPollution movement with an information

campaign, starting with a status report on plastic waste management.

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Data from the  2015 study "Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean" shows
that the Philippines wastes 6,237,653 kg (6875.84 tons) of plastic per day, of which
81% is mismanaged.

Countries like Japan and the United States similarly waste millions of kilograms per
day — 19,605,620 kg and 37,729,383 kg respectively — but both had a 0%
mismanagement rating.

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"About half of all of the plastic waste that ends up in the oceans comes from just
five countries: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam," the UN
report reads.

Despite the grim assessment, the UN report commended that local ban on plastics
enforced in certain areas. In the case of the Philippines, certain cities have said no
to plastic like Makati, Quezon City, Pasig, Muntinlipa, Las Piñas, and Pasay.
While the country has the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 as a
standing legislation that contains provisions for "recycling programs for the
recyclable materials, such as but not limited to glass, paper, plastic and metal", the
senate bill that seeks to plan grocery bags has yet to be passed.

According to the UN report, 300 million tons of plastic waste is produced every year
and "half of all plastic produced is designed to be used only once and thrown away."

Single-use plastic products include plastic water bottles made with polythylene
terephthalate (PET); harder plastic bottles used for shampoo or milk made with
high-density polyethylene (HDPE); grocery bags and food packaging made with low-
density polyethylene; and plastic cutlery made with polystyrene (PS) among others.

Although repurposing these materials have continuously been encouraged, the UN

report stated that only 9% of all plastic waste ever produced has been recycled.

"About 12% has been incinerated, while the rest — 79% — has accumulated in
landfills, dumps or the natural environment," the report continued.

The most common type of plastic found in the environment were cigarette butts,
which contain tiny plastic fibers. This was followed by drink bottles, bottle caps,
food wrappers, grocery bags, drink lids, straws and stirrers.

 
UN Environment Programme
✔@UNEP

This is the amount of plastic waste generated annually & how much of it is
inadequately managed.
On #WorldEnvironmentDay, join the call to #BeatPlasticPollution for people

and planet
http://bit.ly/2stoBSg 

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As previously reported by "Born to Be Wild", plastic doesn't degrade fully and
instead becomes "microplastic". The tiny plastic particles are consumed by marine
life and studies have shown that we already might be consuming it not just through
fish, but salt as well.

READ : Salt samples from PHL tested for microplastics: Is it already in our food?

Small actions like bringing a reusable water tumbler, bringing your own cutlery, and
using canvas totes for your grocery shopping matter in the global effort to reduce
plastic waste and production.

Because if the trajectory of plastic production, use, and mismanagement continues,

the UN report predicts that by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the
ocean. — Aya Tantiangco/LA, GMA News