One Tama Blog

I’ve made a personal commitment to reduce my plastic bag usage in my day-to-day life. Although it may seem trivial to some, I am convinced that the impact of this one act, multiplied by its frequency, and hopefully by the number of people I can convince to do the same, will be a positive contribution to our campaign to save our environment.

Most plastic bags today are made of Polyethylene, 80% produced from natural gas, which is a non-renewable resource. What makes this versatile material popular is its relatively cheap production cost. What people fail to consider, however, are the collateral environmental damage and disposal costs associated to plastics.

Here are some general facts and statistics for everyone to consider:

1. Plastics make up about 18% of total global waste by volume, and 7% by weight.
2. World-wide, only about 5.2% of plastic bags are recycled. [I suspect the number for the Philippines is slightly higher, owing to our cultural persistence in re-using plastic bags over and over.] Recycled plastic is melted and fashioned into other usable things, like chairs, bottles, and other practical items. The process of melting used plastic produces potentially toxic waste, however, which poses a threat to our environment. Still, maybe this is better than the other 94.8% which are not recycled at all.
3. The unrecycled plastic eventually find their way to our waste dumps. Most plastics are non-biodegradable, meaning they do not readily decompose in soil like organic materials. Instead, plastics undergo a processe called photo-degradation when exposed to sunlight and other conducive conditions. Photo-degradation takes a very long time–20 years by the most modest estimates, and up to 500 years by others.
4. Even after photo-degradation, non-organic plastic particles mix with soil and may yield unforetold negative effects to surrounding fauna and flora. Plastics were introduced for commercial use beginning 1933 only, and so these effects remain largely unknown at present.

Conservation Proposal

I am not against the use of plastic bags. I have to admit the strengths and advantages of the material. However, I believe we’ve taken plastics for granted by excessive use and irresponsible disposal. Here is my simple proposal:

Don’t use plastic bags when you can manage without it.

• Choose to carry the one or two items you purchase from a convenience store by hand;
• Remember to tell the cashiers and clerks when you don’t need a plastic bag so they’d know not to give you one;
• For planned shopping/ grocery trips, bring reusable bags to carry your purchases;
• Try to carry a portable, reusable bag in your purse or pocket just in case you find a need for it.
• When buying items from several stores, explore ways to combine purchases in as few bags as possible.

How about other alternatives like Paper Bags and Biodegradable Plastic Bags?

Although theoretically more environment-friendly, an overall reduction in the usage of these materials is still recommended. The more we use these materials, the more costs there will be. Paper bags come from trees, which is rapidly becoming a scarce resource. Biodegradable plastic is made of cornstarch and other similar crop food products, which are again a valuable resource to society.

Counting Wins

I keep a small card in my wallet where I scribble a small mark everytime I avoid using a plastic bag. It makes me happy about my effort, and helps me sell the idea to other people too. I was amazed to find that I can save anywhere from 1 to 3 plastic bags daily, and have saved about 50 bags in the past month. Imagine the possibilities: that’s equivalent to 600 bags in a year per person; 6,000 plastic bags annually if only 9 other people joined me.

I realize: it’s not such a trivial effort after all, is it?

Make saving on plastic bags your One Tama Action of the day, too. Add actions 10 and 58 to your list!