RP registers highest number of waste plastic bottles
THE simmering heat of summer may have something to do with it, but Filipinos’ increased consumption of liquid in plastic bottles also made them the biggest contributor of such waste, a local waste and pollution watchdog said.
The EcoWaste Coalition, citing a report of the Ocean Conservancy’s “Marine Debris Index,” said the Philippines registered the highest number of littered beverage plastic bottles in Southeast Asia, based on marine debris collected during the International Coastal Cleanup Day in 2008.
The Philippines accounted for 20,238 pieces, followed by Singapore at 4,932, Thailand 3,216,Malaysia 2,046, Indonesia 681, and Vietnam 5.
And as city folk brace themselves for the seasonal “Semana Santa” pilgrimage or leisure trip, the group reminded pilgrims to “think outside the bottle” and give up the bottled water habit.
Per-capita consumption of bottled water in the Philippines, according to The World’s Water 2006-2007 Data, rose from 16.3 liters per person in 1999 to 17.1 liters in 2004 as calculated by the Beverage Marketing Corp.
“To turn the tide against bottled water, Filipino consumers further need to assert their right to drink healthy and safe water straight from the tap and insist that bottled water is no sustainable solution to our thirst for water,” the EcoWaste Coalition said.
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