Will the Philippines finally end single-use plastic?

The country’s single-use of plastic may finally come to an end. But one relevant question is:  when?

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST), in collaboration with other government organizations will adopt a whole-of-government approach to find alternatives to single-use plastics.

Studies show that plastics continue to be a pervasive material in the country, being a “sachet economy” that utilizes the “tingi” retail system employed in the market. Plastic is mainly used in grocery stores, as packaging material, in construction, and a lot more due to it being cheap, strong, and extremely versatile.

To learn more about the coming end to single-plastic use, the Industrial Technology and Development Institute (ITDI) of the DOST will conduct a technology forum on “Analyzing the Life Cycle of Non-Environmentally Acceptable Products on 23 November 2022 from 1:00PM – 2:00PM at the Luna Room of the World Trade Center, Pasay City.  

With the enactment of Republic Act No. (RA) 9003, otherwise known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, the DOST-ITDI had initiated projects to address the problems of solid waste management in the country following the waste management hierarchy were avoidance and reduction are the most preferred options.

This is one of the forums to be conducted during the celebration of the National Science and Technology Week (NSTW) which will run on 23-27 November 2022 at the World Trade Center, Pasay City. Likewise, there will be technology exhibits that will showcase different innovations in various fields like agriculture, waste management, emerging technologies, blue and green economy, health, and disaster preparedness, among others. For more details on other forums and exhibits, please visit the official website of the 2022 NSTW at the www.nstw.dost.gov.ph or its official Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/nstwdost). For all who would like to visit the exhibits and other activities for the five-day S&T celebration, you may register through this link: https://nstwregistration.dost.gov.ph/preregister. You may also send your inquiry to nstw.secretariat@gmail.com and nstwpromotions@gmail.com.  (Geraldine Bulaon-Ducusin, S&T Media Service)