Greenpeace conducts Manila Bay discard survey

Environmentalist groups Greenpeace and Eco-Waste Coalition (EWC) said yesterday they would turn piles of plastic residual waste, which were collected from Manila Bay yesterday, into a work of art as part of their campaign to promote cleaner seas.

Beau Baconguis, Greenpeace Southeast Asia toxics campaigner, said this was the first time they have joined forces with the coalition in a discard survey project. They will segregate the garbage collected from the Manila Bay to determine what type of trash is most commonly thrown.

Utilizing two inflatable boats and two outriggers, environmental activists collected almost eight sacks and 10 drums of trash in 90 minutes. The trash was later classified into recycled and residual waste.

Those that can still be utilized or recycled would be given to garbage collectors, while the residual plastics would be transformed into a wire mesh sculptures.

They have commissioned Ed Manalo and the other artists under the group Dakila for the pieces.

One of the finished works would be taken to the Greenpeae head office via its ship, the M.Y. Esperanza. "But there would definitely be other sculptures left behind in the Philippines to remind authorities, such as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources , to seriously implement Republic Act 9003, or the Solid Waste Management Law."

Aileen Sison, EWC chairperson, said that they conducted the discard survey project to discover the kind of trash thrown into the sea.

"A sizable fraction of items recovered from the breakwater area of the Folk Arts Theater-Cultural Center of the Philippines (FAT-CCP) were non-recyclable items such as plastic bags, plastic sachets, and soft drink straws. On the other hand, we only collected a few bottles of mineral water," Sison said.

This, she said, showed that Filipinos have started to sell recyclable plastic items to junk shops.

She added that this problem is consumer generated because everything under nature is recyclable, and plastic is man-made. The EWC advocates for better respect on the environment and for the industries to "extend their producer responsibility."

Since putting up a sanitary landfill is expensive and only being shouldered by the government, these manufacturing companies should contribute to the creation of proper disposal areas for wastes, the group said.

An option is for these firms to redesign their products or make them recyclable so they would be more environmentally friendly.

Sison said a study conducted by the Asian Development Bank in 2004 revealed that only 1,500 tons of garbage are collected in Metro Manila, while the rest are thrown into Manila Bay, rivers and its tributaries.