Plastics
'Di na single
No To Single-use Plastics
Join Oceana to End the Plastics Problem and Save the Oceans
Since you've been
on this webpage
pounds of plastics
have entered the ocean
The Problem
18 years after Republic Act 9003, Ecological Solid Waste Management Act became effective, the National Solid Waste Management Commission has not released the list of non-environmentally acceptable products and packaging (NEAP). This hampers the regulation on the manufacture, use and consumption of these products and greatly contributed to unimaginable volume of wastes in our oceans. Holding the record of the world’s third largest ocean polluter is not something we, Filipinos, should be proud of.
July is Plastic-Free Month. Are you willing to be plastic-free? Di na single?
The oceans face a massive and growing threat from something you encounter everyday: plastics. An estimated 17.6 billion pounds of plastic leaks into the marine environment from land-based sources every year—this is roughly equivalent to dumping a garbage truck full of plastic into the oceans every minute.
A garbage truck's-worth of plastic ends up
in the ocean every minute
As plastics continue to flood into our oceans, the list of marine species affected by plastic debris expands. Tens of thousands of individual marine organisms have been observed suffering from entanglement or ingestion of plastics permeating the marine environment—from zooplankton and fish, to sea turtles, marine mammals and seabirds.
Plastics never go away. Instead, they break down into smaller and smaller pieces, which act as magnets for harmful pollutants. When eaten by fish, some of those chemical-laden microplastics can work their way up the food chain and into the fish we eat.
Plastics in our oceans threaten the viability of critical marine ecosystems, but marine plastic pollution is not just a problem for our oceans. The extent to which we, too, are being affected by the plastics that have become so ubiquitous in our environment—in our food, water and air—is a topic of extensive research.
Unfortunately, one of the most popular solutions to plastic pollution falls far short. A meager 9 percent of all plastic waste generated has been recycled. Recycling alone is not enough to solve the plastics crisis. To have an impact, we must reduce the amount of single-use plastic being produced at the source. Oceana’s plastics campaign will urge companies to adopt alternatives for single-use plastic packaging.
Learn more by reading our Fact Sheet
Solution
Section 29 of the Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act mandates the National Solid Waste Management Commission to release the list of non-environmentally acceptable products and packaging (NEAP) within one year from the effectivity of the law. One of the big steps to strategically stop the continuous increase in volume of plastic wastes in our oceans is for the Commission to release this list as soon as possible to facilitate the prohibition of the manufacture, use and consumption of these products.
Companies
From multinational corporations to local restaurants – companies need to adopt alternatives to single-use plastics.
Governments
At all levels, governments need to enact smart legislation and regulations that limit or eliminate single-use plastics and ensure they don’t end up in our oceans.
Consumers
Consumers have the most important role of all. Make your voice heard, and lead by example.
Vote through the ballot and with your wallet to ensure governments and companies recognize, own and act on the threat plastic pollution poses to our oceans. Limit single-use plastics in your own daily life, and recycle where possible. You can make a difference in the plastic pollution problem right now.
