Trash endgame: Can recycling solve PH's plastic woes?

Job Manahan, ABS-CBN News

MANILA– While the Philippines sees the plastics upcycling industry expanding, environmentalists believe that much more must be done to address the plastic waste backlog. This is because even if the 3 firms and other recyclers are able to divert tons of plastics into recycled items, the unabated plastics production still cancels this.Food networks and businesses should instead phase out single-use plastics, the production of which is expected to <a href='https://www.minderoo.org/plastic-waste-makers-index/findings/executive-summary/' target='_blank'>increase by 30 percent</a> in the next 5 years, advocates have said.

<div class='embed-wrap'><figure data-feedback='fb:likes,fb:comments'><img alt='Environmental activists of Greenpeace hold plackards and letters as they hold a ’Break Free From Plastics’ protest in front of the building where Nestle’ Philippines is located, in Makati City on March 23, 2022. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News' src='https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/news/05/06/20220323-bffp-greenpeace-plastics-waste-protest-jc-000852000.jpg' ><figcaption>Environmental activists of Greenpeace hold plackards and letters as they hold a ’Break Free From Plastics’ protest in front of the building where Nestle’ Philippines is located, in Makati City on March 23, 2022. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</figcaption></figure></div>This is the last part of a 3-part series. You can read the <a href='https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/multimedia/slideshow/05/05/22/philippines-upcycles-its-way-out-of-its-plastic-pollution-crisis' target='_blank'>first part here</a>, and the <a href='https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/multimedia/slideshow/05/05/22/advocates-experts-raise-concerns-vs-plastic-upcycling-as-pollution-crisis-lingers' target='_blank'>second part here</a>.

An environment group said top-plastic producing firms must change their business models instead of diverting the attention to recycling plastics. Initiatives like plastic upcycling can be considered as 'false solutions.'

Trash endgame: Can recycling solve PH's plastic woes? | ABS-CBN News

Spotlight

Spotlight

Trash endgame: Can recycling solve PH's plastic woes?

Trash endgame: Can recycling solve PH's plastic woes?