Plastic Credit Exchange (PCX), a global non-profit plastic offset organization, said the Philippines needs to improve its plastic waste management system and to deal with the challenges head on such as lack of incentives, logistics, electricity, processing facilities, and capacity to meet multinational demands.

During an interview with DZBB’s Konyumer Atbp program on Saturday, Oct. 14, PCX Philippine Sustainability Manager Kathleen Ilagan emphasized the need to improve plastic waste management implementation in the country, given the challenges in promoting sustainability.

“In general po, medyo marami pa tayo talagang dapat iimprove sa pag-manage ng plastic sa bansa. [In general, we still have a lot to improve in managing plastic in the country],” Ilagan said.

She stressed that the country has a fragmented waste management implementation which limits the efficiency to maximize plastic recycling.

“Ang presyo po for example ng paggamit ng bagong gawang plastic is mas mura kumpara sa recycled na plastic. [The price, for example, of using newly made plastic is cheaper compared to recycled plastic.],” Ilagan said.

She also cited that the country lacks incentives to incorporate recycled content in its products.

Adding to this is the cost of logistics, particularly in transporting garbage from point A to point B, which significantly impacts the efficiency of our waste transportation to our processors, as well as the cost of electricity.

“Marami naman po tayong recycling at upcycling facilities na rin, at ito ‘yong mga nagpoproseso ng plastics para magamit ulit sila, pero hindi pa ito doon sa scale o laki kung saan kailangan natin para matugunan natin ‘yong plastic crisis natin efficiently. [We already have many recycling and upcycling facilities, and these are the ones that process plastics so that they can be used again, but they are not yet at the scale or size that we need to meet our plastic crisis efficiently],” Ilagan cited.

She also added that there are micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that recycle and process plastics but struggle to meet multinational buyers' requirements due to capacity limitations, insufficient processing, and potential improvements in quality management systems, limiting their actual demand.

PCX targets to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, aiming to eliminate plastic waste from nature. It works with sustainable businesses to achieve measurable impact through prevention, reuse, substitution, and recycling.

One of PCX’s initiatives is the “Aling Tindera,” a waste-to-cash program that encourages women-owned sari-sari stores to collect post-consumer plastic waste, establishing community infrastructure for efficient transport to processing facilities.

This project offers numerous benefits, including increased income opportunities for women micro-entrepreneurs and city residents, a more organized informal waste collector sector, cleaner environments, and improved health.

Currently, there are about 76 Aling Tindera locations across the country.

Additionally, PCX has so far collected about 33,000 kilograms of plastics and a 64 percent profit increase.

PCX also serves as a producer responsibility organization (PRO) under the Extended Producer Responsibility Act (EPRA) of 2022, guiding companies to comply with the law and suggesting strategic methods to not just clean up but also lessen the consumption of plastic materials.

Meanwhile, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Assistant Secretary Mary Jean Pacheco reiterated that the DTI pushes for a whole-of-government approach in promoting zero plastic waste in the country.

DTI encourages customers to uphold their environmental stewardship by adopting sustainable lifestyles to eliminate waste and conserve resources.

This year’s celebration of Consumer Welfare Month (CWM) focuses on the 7Rs: Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose, and Repair, in line with the theme "GenS: Generation Sustainable."

For this week, DTI is encouraging consumers to practice the ‘reuse’ and ‘reduce’ sustainability methods.