THE University of San Carlos (USC) has declared a complete ban on the use of single-use plastics in its tertiary campuses in Cebu City.
The ban took effect on Sept. 1, 2023, and applied to the whole USC community that includes the administrators, faculty and staff, students, canteen concessionaires and visitors who enter the Talamban and downtown campuses.
With this development, the university encouraged its community members to each bring their own water jug or tumbler, food containers, and personal cutleries.
Lawyer Joan Largo, the new USC vice president for administration, and Fr. Jesuraj Anthoniappen, SVD, vice president for academic affairs, issued the joint memorandum on Aug. 24
“As a Catholic university, USC wishes to faithfully heed the call of Pope Francis (as) expressed in his 2015 Ecological Encyclical, ‘Laudato Si,’” underscored the joint memorandum issued as academic year 2023-2024 started.
“USC acknowledges the sins we have committed against creation in destroying the biological diversity of God’s creation, in degrading the integrity of the earth, and in contaminating the earth’s water, land, air, and life,” it noted.
Largo and Anthoniappen explained that this collective act of the university would be its way to “resolve to atone for the crime committed against the natural world.” The move came as USC marks its 75th Charter Anniversary as a university, and it is doing its part to “care and preserve our common home, Mother Earth.”
Contaminants
Single-use plastics are considered among the planet’s contaminants. Studies showed that a polyethylene terephthalate bottle would last for 450 years, plastic straw for 200 years, plastic cutlery for more than 100 years, plastic coffee cups for 30 years, plastic bags for 20 years and styrofoam, forever.
As the joint memorandum mandated, products in SUP will no longer be used and permitted entry into the Talamban and downtown Cebu City campuses. Security guards have instructions to enforce the new rule.
These products include water bottles, bottle caps, plastic bags, food packaging film and wraps, plastic cutlery, plates, hot drink (styrofoam) cups and the like.
“We acknowledge that there will be some inconvenience on our part. But convenience is too high a price to pay for the sure destruction of our common and only home,” underscored the university memorandum.
“Part of the atonement of our sin against creation is the resolve to say a definite and firm NO to the use of SUPs in USC,” the memorandum further pointed out.