On January 18, 2011, a new ordinance took effect in the city of Muntinlupa, banning the use of plastic bags in malls, supermarkets, and other business establishments. Muntinlupa is the first city in the Philippines to ban the use of plastic bags in business establishments, joining cities such as San Francisco, Mexico City, and even Bangladesh in this effort. Ever since the unprecedented and severe flooding brought on by Typhoon Ondoy last year, we Filipinos had no choice but to experience for ourselves and realize first-hand just how much discarded plastic bags have contributed to the disastrous deluge that overwhelmed the metro. Just get a load of the photo on the right (courtesy of http://manilareview.wordpress.com/tag/typhoon-ondoy/) and you'll understand how vital it is we get onboard the plastic-bag-ban bandwagon! In a pioneering effort to help make Muntinlupa almost ‘carrier neutral’ by removing all single-use plastic bags from its stores and check-outs, City Ordinance #10-109 prohibits the use of plastic bags as packing materials for dry goods, and as primary packing materials for wet goods such as fish, poultry and meat. The ordinance covers "sando bags", pouches, plastic shopping bags and plastic film bags, as well as styrofoam or styropor materials such as disposable food containers, cups, plates and the like.
Although there had been signs posted at supermarkets' cashier counters for months previous to the ordinance's implementation, there are still many shoppers caught off-guard, without their personal shopping bags, and in a quandary wondering how they will carry all their purchases, especially the meats and fish that they bought. Most supermarkets provide carton boxes in which their stocks had been delivered in or brown paper bags and give the shopper the option to buy the store's branded eco-bags.
Initially, of course, it will take a huge paradigm shift and a major conscious effort on everybody's part to remember to bring an eco-friendly shopping bag every time one goes out. Yes, it can be kinda inconvenient sometimes. Yes, change is not easy, but it's not impossible. It's not a drastic change of habit or attitude for me since for over a year now, I've made it a habit of keeping a couple of foldable/reusable shopping bags of all sizes in my car and in my big purse — I even have a big bayong made of dried water lilies that my friend's driver had woven. Yet even then, there have been times I've been "caught" without a bag. Then I suddenly decide to buy something and I end up having my purchase put in a plastic bag. Generally, people don't yet have the habit of bringing an extra bag — it will take some time before the habit kicks in and becomes automatic. It's particularly inconvenient to the guys who don't usually go around toting a bag! To many, it requires being mindful and deliberately getting into the habit of bringing along an eco-friendly shopping bag every time, especially if one were intending to go shopping or to the supermarket.
As said in the PlanetGreen site: "We all know how terrible plastic bags are for the environment — they choke wildlife, they don't break down in landfills (or in oceans), they add to our demand for oil, and they aren't easy to recycle." Forget the idea that plastic bags will eventually biodegrade — the typical polyethylene bag hasn't been around long enough (regular use of it started around the early 1980s) for scientists to pinpoint a precise timeline, but so far it seems plastics have not yet been proven to biodegrade at all. In fact, some researchers are afraid that they may never fully decompose, but rather they will just slowly and eventually turn into smaller and smaller and even smaller pieces of plastic without totally disintegrating. And, did you know that the crude oil needed to make 18 plastic bags could drive a car for a mile? That's according to Bags On The Run, a manufacturer of reusable bags.
I hate to admit it but plastic bags have made my life simply so convenient! At home, we reuse plastic bags to line our trash pails, to pick up doggie poo, to pack/repack wet stuff and for many other things. Plus, reusable cotton or canvas are a lot bulkier and heavier to carry than plastic bags. But, looking at the big picture and considering the long-term consequences on our world, especially in light of their negative impact on the environment, I think banning the use of plastic bags is a good thing. It is said that to dream big, start small. And refusing to use single-use plastic bags is actually a small thing that can help lead to the bigger dream of a cleaner environment. Bottomline, the inconvenience is worth it all. I hope Muntinlupa's initiative will be successful enough to be carried through to the rest of the country.
