In a world where humans coexist with other living organisms, various things were

made for the benefit of human species, regardless of its effects to our Mother Earth.
However, problems arise in different degrees. Worst case is existence of pollution which
may cause the destruction of the environment. A speech given in the United Nations
Assembly stated and I quote “North, South, East, and West. Everyone sees we have a
problem with plastics and everyone knows we need to solve it and its urgent.” This speech
came up as a result of different cases of plastic pollution, such as, plastics were found
inside the belly of marine animals worldwide including the Philippines.
As we all know, plastic is one of the most harmful rubbish material that harms the
environment. Plastic is a chemical substance that is long lasting. Meaning, it takes
hundreds of years before it will decompose. If plastic is stored in soil, it will decrease the
soil fertility. But if the plastic is burnt, it can cause air pollution by producing carbon
monoxide which in the end helps warm the environment through the process of
greenhouse effect. Thus, plastic is considered as the worst waste problem. But, as
industrialization continues, more and more plastics produced because of today’s demand
that want everything to be more practical and instant.
However, with this mindset of practical and instant, jeopardize one of the laws of
nature which humans are task to. The law which states that humans are stewards of
nature. We are supposed to protect and take good care of our Mother Earth but the
opposite is what we do. Thus, as the saying goes, the actions manifested in the present
are detrimental in the future. We don’t want that future archeologist name our era as the
plastic era because of tons of plastic everywhere, or, worst case, the future is very bad in
which everything is polluted, scarcity of limited resources which result to violence are
rampant, and other disadvantages.
Moreover, recent statistics showed as of 2018, 380 million tons of plastic is
produced worldwide out of which only 9% is recycled, 12% is incinerated and the rest
goes to the landfills, polluting the environment. And the sad case is that, the Philippines,
our country, is the 3rd plastic producing/using country worldwide. We, Filipinos, used too
much plastic everywhere we go. It seems plastic is part of our daily routine, an integral
part of our life, which makes our life easier. Plastic is used excessively in the packaging
industry and everything that we buy today is wrapped in thin plastic sheets, or comes in
boxes made of plastic. However, this plastics, in the end, are sent to landfills or pollute
our environment. In conclusion, plastics produced harmful effect to us, humans, now and
the generations to come. Therefore, we should act now, though, it may be small but it
may contribute to a change. It may be a small change but it may cause a big difference.
And, all things start with us.