THE Philippine Plastics Industry Association Inc. (PPAI) is working on the transition toward producing single-used plastic through organic materials to ensure faster plastic decomposition.
"I hope everyone will realize that banning or stopping plastic [production] will never solve the problem; it will just worsen," PPAI president Aaron Lao told delegates of the first-ever VisMin Tourism Congress & Travel Sale, which runs from July 13 to 15 at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotels & Casinos.
In his speech, Lao highlighted the continuing issues and challenges of plastic waste disposal in the Philippines.
"When I started at the Philippine Plastics Industry Association last 2003, plastic has already been a topic. Now it's been 20 years and the plastic packaging is still going strong," he said.
The Philippines is known to be one of the largest contributors of plastic waste worldwide, with 60 percent of the country only having large landfills without proper waste disposal, he added.
Fortunately, with several of the country's technological advancements in the plastics industry, Lao said that innovation paved the way to provide solutions on how to dispose plastic waste without compromising the environment.
"University of San Carlos has been prototyping on a bio-plastic made from shrimp shells and mango kernels... this can be the future of single-used plastics," he said.
Alongside Thursday event are The VisMin Printing, Packaging & Plastics Show and VisMin Hotel & Food Service Supplier Show 2023.
The VisMin Printing, Packaging & Plastics Show is back to sustain the ever-growing Visayas and Mindanao technological communities creating innovative solutions, highlighting the main environmental issue being waste management and disposal.
This year's event showcases new trends, technologies, products, and services, as it urged hotels and local businesses to properly dispose their plastic wastes. (Chrys Chelsea Bernales, UP Intern)