Investigating the Environmental and Economic Impact of Plastic Pollution in the

Philippines

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University
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November 24, 2023
Investigating the Environmental and Economic Impact of Plastic Pollution in the Philippines

Background

Plastics are important components of contemporary life and the global economy with

prevalent use across different industries for a wide range of applications due to their versatility.

Their attractive attributes have driven the global demand for plastics soar to a staggering three

hundred million tons by 2021,a trend is expected to continue over the next two decades to

approximately 600 metric tons by 2050 (Statista, 2023). This growth is comparable to the

historical patterns of economic growth over the last two centuries (Howitt & Weil, 2010).

Ironically, plastics are non-biodegradable with approximately 11 million metric tons of plastic

waste ending up in landfills for years before making it to water ecosystems as micro plastics.

This has contributing to the current global plastic pollution crisis with significant impacts on

public health, the environment, food systems and livelihoods. While plastic pollution is a global

crisis, it disproportionately affects Philippines, which is the third top plastic waste emitter in the

world to oceans resulting in severe environmental, economic and social costs.

Introduction

Plastics are integral elements to modern life with widespread adoption and use for

commercial and non-commercial purposes. Their unique qualities especially their durability and

light weight make them appealing. However, their extensive use has contributed to one of the

worst global crises, plastic pollution. This paper explores the subject of plastic pollution with a

specific focus on the Philippines, the third largest contributor of plastic pollution in the world. It

adopts a literature review as a methodology to identify environmental and economic impacts of

plastic pollution on key sectors in the Philippines, the extent of environmental degradation

caused by plastic pollution and the effectiveness of current environmental policies in addressing
the problem. The overarching research question is “What are the specific environmental and

economic impacts of plastic pollution in the Philippines, and how effective are current policies

and initiatives in addressing this issue?

Statement of the Problem

According to the World Bank (2021), the Philippines is one of many in South East Asia

grappling with a growing middle class that overly relies on plastic products and packaging

because of their convenience and versatility. Consumer goods companies tap into this

demographic by producing single use plastic sachets and smaller disposable packets that

contributed over 2 billion U.S dollars in 2018 with an estimated growth rate of 6% per year

between 2018 and 2023 (World Bank, 2021). This has created an unsustainable production and

consumption dynamic characterized by an estimated daily consumption of 163 million plastic

sachets (World Bank, 2021). This situation, while positive in many has inadvertently given

contributed to the unprecedented plastic pollution crises whose effects spill over beyond the

Philippines (Sur et al., 2023). The World Bank estimates that the country emitss over 350,000

million metric tons of plastic waste annually from over 400 rivers, 36% of which ends up in end

up in the world’s oceans (Meijer et al., 2021; World Bank, 2021; Braaten et al., 2021).

According to the SEA Circular (n.d), while the Philipines local government is responsible

for managing the collection of solid waste, it has poorly enforced laws on solid waste

management which has contributed to the unprecedented plastic pollution crises witnessed today

that seems to be increasing by the day (The United Nations Environment Programme, 2022). The

country has inadequate collection services and recycling infrastructure with garbage trucks

unable to access slum and rural areas around the sea-facing Manila Island engulfed in plastic
litter dumped on streets before making its way in drainage systems and waterways. This in turn

leads to clogging and frequent flooding in the region.

The rationale for this research is the alarming and pervasive problem of plastic waste in

the Philippines that has a reverberating impact on the world through sea and oceans

contamination. The fact the country ranks third among the world’s top plastic polluters

underscores the need to investigate the factors contributing to the problem and propose evidence-

based solutions derived from an extensive literature review.

Objectives

1. To analyze and understand the environmental and economic implications of plastic

pollution in the Philippines.

2. Assess the extent of environmental degradation caused by plastic pollution in different

regions of the Philippines.

3. Examine the economic consequences of plastic pollution on key sectors and industries.

4. Evaluate the effectiveness of current environmental policies and initiatives in addressing

plastic pollution.

Theory/Literature Review

Effects of plastic pollution on the Environment

According to Meijer et al. (2021), plastic pollution negatively affects marine life, natural

ecosystems, and human health. Specifically, it affects land and marine biodiversity negatively by

altering or degrading natural habitats which in turn leads to biomass reduction, extinction of

species, extinction, diminishing organism’s overall health (Abreo et al., 2015). According to

Schachter & Karasik (2022), plastic pollution has a major negative impact on the Philippine

environment. For instance, plastic litter runoff clog drainage systems and water sources like
rivers threatening human wellbeing and safety. This situation is usually pronounced during rainy

seasons when different areas become flooded. While the Philippines has a diverse and rich

marine biodiversity characterized by islands, oceans, lakes, rivers and coral reefs, it is the biggest

plastic polluter of the same biodiversity through rivers (Ramos, 2023; Requiron & Bacosa,

2022). Over 10 thousand square miles of the country comprises of coral reefs, which are

significant marine ecosystems that support the subsistence of 25% of the world’s oceans fish

(Ramos, 2023).

The increasing plastic litter in the country poses a significant threat to this ecosystem by

increasing the risk of pathogens and disease (Lamb et a.l, 2018). The authors studied 159 coral

reefs in the Asia-Pacific region and established that plastic increased the risk of disease in the

ecosystems twenty times by depriving the habitat light and releasing toxins that promote the

breeding of pathogens. Plastic waste in the Philippines’ marine ecosystem is attributable to rivers

such as Pulauan River and the Pasig River (Meijer et al., 2021; Requiron & Bacosa, 2022). In

addition, plastic litter, particularly food packaging have contaminated coastal sea beds in the

Philippines such as Sultan Naga Dimaporo in Lanao del Norte province (Requiron & Bacosa,

2022). Plastic pollution may also affects terrestrial biodiversity by introducing invasive species

that disrupt ecological balance( Anderson et. 2018).

Extent of environmental degradation caused by plastic pollution in the Philippines

Plastic pollution has led to extensive environmental degradation in the Philippines. A

majority of rivers, seas and oceans in the region are inundated with plastic. According to

Staufenberg et al. (2023) polluters such as Nestlé, Colgate-Palmolive and Pepsi Cola have

colluded and created an initiative known as the “Plastic Credit Exchange (PCX)” involving the

collection of plastic litter from rivers such as San Juan in Manila by locals. Once collected the
litter is sold to local cement manufacturers who burn it for fuel. This, in turn contributes to green

house gas emissions. This is contrary to PCXs mission of transforming the Philippines into a

circular economy by recycling plastic litter. This approach makes it difficult to the country to

meet it carbon reduction obligations as mandated in the Paris 2015 agreement.

Economic impact of plastic pollution on key sectors and industries

According to Schachter & Karasik (2022), plastic pollution affects the Philippine

economy profoundly, affecting different sectors such as fisheries, tourism and aquaculture. The

Philippines’ economy relies significantly on marine and coastal tourism in terms of income and

local employment opportunities (Zafra, 2021). However, plastic pollutions threatens one the

greatest economic drivers of the $3 billion worth coastal and marine tourism that employs close

to one million people, the ocean (Zafra, 2021). According to Schachter & Karasik (2022), plastic

pollution has contributed to economic losses emanating from the temporary closure of tourist

islands such as Boracay, which was closed in 2018 for a period of six months for clean up and

rehabilitation of the island. This led to significant losses for both the government in terms of

potential revenue and locals who relied on the island for livelihood. The estimated gross revenue

potentially lost was approximately four million USD (20 billion Philippine peso) (Schachter &

Karasik, 2022). Local fishermen blame plastic pollution into the oceans for the suffocation of

coral reefs, which, in, turn reduces fish yields (SEA Circular, n.d). This is likely to have broader

negative effect on the economic productivity of local population living along the coastline

projected to grow at a rate of 1.5% by 2030 (SEA Circular, n.d).

Existing Policies and Initiatives

The Philippines has legislation governing solid waste management in general such as the

Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. This Act provides a framework for reduction,
recycling and reuse of plastic (Sur et al. 2023). The country also passed the Extended Producer

Responsibility” (EPR) law in 2023 that obligates plastic packaging producers to take

responsibility of the entire cycle of their products including waste management (Sur et al. 2023).

There is also a national marine litter action plan aimed at achieving “Zero Waste” in the country

204” (DENR, 2021). While the country has enacted the above policies, there is a seeming

implementation failure at the national and at stakeholder levels. As such, stakeholder

engagement is necessary to achieve meaningful results.

Methodology

This paper applied an extensive literature review methodology comprising of the use of

secondary data obtained from academic articles, government reports, NGO publications, and

databases focused on plastic pollution in the Philippines.

Significance of the Study

This research gives insights on the extent of plastic pollution in the Philippines as well as

the environmental and economic impact of the problem in the country. The data on the economic

losses incurred by the tourism and marine industries sets the foundation for potential policy

interventions. The finding of possible collusion among plastic producers such as Nestlé, Colgate-

Palmolive, and Pepsi Cola to whitewash their contribution and impact on the environment

through the PCX program warrants investigation. Decision-makers can use the findings to refine

existing plastic pollution policies in the Philippines formulation. Moreover, the findings can

serve as a foundation for future research on the subject matter.

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