Bacolod City Councilor Em Legaspi-Ang says:
We are aware of hurricane Sandy that hit America recently. Water rose in the East Coast but it subsided right away because there was no garbage clogging their waterways, unlike in the Philippines
Even though I think this is interesting, I think it is a solution that has nothing to do with the problem.
Yes, Hurricane Sandy's waters went down quickly due to the waterways being unclogged, but that has very little to do with plastics not being used in shops.
Actually, if Mrs Legaspi-Ang ever went to the United States, she would realize that plastic is used in almost every single store in the United States and every single farmers market and wet markets.
What the Philippines doesn't do that the USA does is throwing away their trash properly. This has a lot to do with city law enforcement, fines, education, and poverty. It has very little to do with plastic being used.
Want to solve the problem of clogging drains, Mrs. Legaspi-Ang? How about, firstly, educating Bacolodnons about throwing their trash in the proper place. Almost every time I ride a jeepney, I see someone throw trash outside the window. That trash ends up in the drain. Tell schools to start teaching children what to do with their trash and its proper disposal.
How about actually having trash pickup services in every Barangay? Several barangays don't have trash pickup. Instead, the people either burn the trash, bury it themselves, or pay children to take the trash and "bury" it (also known as scattering it across the streets and gutters when they think people aren't looking).
How about when people actually throw their trash in the wrong place, they are fined. And I'm not talking about a 100 or 200 peso fine. I'm talking about 500 pesos. And actually enforce it.
How about actually having trash bins in public places? OK, sure there are some. However, there aren't many. Require all taxis and PUJs to have trash cans. Require all malls to have trash cans. And put trash cans along Lacson St, Araneta, and other gathering areas.
As for poverty, that's one of the main problems. Those people don't have running water, don't throw their trash in the proper place (because they don't know where to or how to or can't afford to). Since there's such a large income disparity and the Philippines doesn't care to solve it, how about actually putting trash bins in large poverty areas and telling them to use it or face large fines and removal of their houses?
Taking away peoples plastics (which are biodegradable when disposed properly) is ridiculous. How will people buy fish at Central Market or Libertad? How will people dispose of their trash when they want to do it properly? Filipinos are innovative people and they will find a way, but it will take a long time to get use to and it creates a lot of inconveniences while not solving the real problem.
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