plastic litter the Philippines' countrysides

Plastic "sando" bags as well as styro foam had been banned in our city since January 2012, we clean our creeks during summer or long before the rains come, our city recycles water hyacinth as well as coconut husks and shells and actually makes some money from it that provides livelihood for some people. Our MRF (materials recovery facility) in conformity with the solid waste management act is also very active in our Barangay, that's why by God's grace it seldom or never floods in our place even when water rises it recedes right away. Think Manila should make a double effort simply because it is bigger and has a larger population, Yes Manila bay,because it is what everybody sees, it's one of the first impressions of our country so they have to put their act together, it's a historical place so better not make it look like a large garbage receptacle for Manila and nearby provinces

i know plastics are everywhere, i saw the news about tho tons garbage that are collected at the manila bay this week. in our town here in la union our mayor decided to banned our market from using a plastic bags, instead the vendors are only allowed to used old newspaper to wrap the products they are selling. i learned that as of now there are two municipalities doing this action to lessen the plastic garbage.

Easy to say but hard to do. We all know plastics has become part of our lives already. Be it from our daily grocery bags, plates, appliances and many more. I think that it has become part and parcel of each of little thing around your body already. Implementing a plastic less country would be next to impossibility. Although we can implement elimination of grocery bag but we cannot deny we still need the plastic wares for sugar, rice etc etc. I really think this one habit is just like hard to erase at all. It has come to a point that they are just too many to dispose now.

That sounds really bad. I know that is happening in the country where I am from too. We just use too much plastic bags now. I know there are some stores that offer you a choice to recycle your bags now. So I can gather up all the plastic bags altogether and bring it to the store to recycle. I just think people should use reusable bags instead of plastic bags.

Good to know that there are already some local municipalities that passed laws of banning plastic bags. Here in Calamba, plastics were already banned and now we bring back those old "bayongs" and eco-bag to be used when going to the market and groceries. More and more cities are now doing the same thing and I was hoping that the entire country would go to this noble way of helping mother earth to recover.

In our town, it's been more than a year since the ordinance against plastic use has been implemented and plastic isn't missed that much. On top of the biodegradable plastic trash bags, our microwavable containers and plastic bottles sold to recycling shops, most households here no longer use those plastic bags. Even department stores and groceries no longer use their signature plastic bags and I must say that our trash has decreased considerably. I know that we're still along way from being totally flood free but at least its somewhere to start.

Plastics are recycled at home including tin cans and bottles. However, I am still guilty of putting trash inside plastic bags for the municipal garbage collector. While it is true that that plastic is one of the reasons why drainage are clogged, plastics remain to be an important part of our daily life. I think we should not blame plastic but the irresponsibility of citizens with their trash. They know that plastic does not decompose but they persist on throwing plastic and other forms of garbage in canals and waterways. If we use hard paper or cardboard as our packaging materials, do you think this will change the bad attitude of our fellowmen? I doubt it. These people do not understand the importance of cleanliness in the environment. Actually, people do not need reminders on keeping their communities clean and safe. They should be responsible enough to know what is right and what is wrong without the government reminding them now and again of garbage being the reason for flooding. If we follow a "plastic-less" society, will it save the city from flooding? I don't think so.