Massive relief operations by various government agencies and non-government groups are now underway in many evacuation centres across Metro Manila, Rizal province, and nearby provinces to provide immediate relief to hundreds of thousands of residents affected by the epic floods brought about by Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana). I would just like to make a suggestion to relief agencies regarding the use of plastic bags in repacking relief goods.

I know that plastic bags are the cheapest and most easily available right now that meet the purpose of mass distribution of relief goods. I am just afraid that these bags will again end up clogging sewage systems and waterways, and polluting our seas and oceans, further contributing to the cycle of unsustainable consumption and waste production, and eventually to more and bigger floods in the future.

While meeting tactical needs let us also think strategic.

One suggestion is promoting the use of abaca net bags instead of the non-biodegradable plastics. Abaca is biodegradable, reusable, and, my guess is, won’t be thrown away easily by consumers the way they do away with plastic bags.

The relevant government agencies and the country’s fibre industry should start thinking about making a shift. Abaca (or Manila hemp) is indigenous to the Philippines and the country supplies about 85 percent of the world’s demand. Shopping malls, merchandise traders, manufacturers, and yes, relief agencies, should be encouraged to make the shift. This move also supports our local farmers and the local fibre industry (including the small cottage weavers), and which could eventually help bring down the cost that would encourage mass use of abaca net bags instead of plastics.

Making this shift through our daily acts of consumption (and in the ongoing relief work) will not only help mitigate the effects of our degraded and over-stretched urban environment but help reduce what could be even bigger disastrous effects in the near future on millions of lives.