Chem 1 WFW April 25, 2018

Prof. Carino ARCEO, LALIC, SHIVERS

Activity 2 Report Paper

1. Do you reuse plastic water bottles for food and drink, or buy food or drink products packaged in reused plastic
bottles?
SHIVERS​: I do not reuse plastic water bottles for food and drink, nor buy food/drink products that are packaged in reused plastic
bottles.
LALIC:​ We do repurpose Coke liter bottles for other drinks at home. My family often buys from people who uses old plastic bottles to
package things like vinegar or condiments.
ARCEO: ​Yes we do reused plastic bottles for water. We reuse plastic containers to store some of our food as well.

2. Based on your own research on this issue, is the FDA statement in the news accurate? Explain your position on this
matter.
Yes, it is relatively accurate. According to the Resin Identification Code (administered by ASTM International, an international standards
organization that develops and publishes technical standards for a wide range of products), plastic bottles with a code of 1 are called
PETE or PET, which is an abbreviation of Polyethelyene Terephthelate. These are commonly used for plastic containers for food &
drinks. 2 (High Density Polyethylene or HDPE), 4 (Low Density Polyethylene or LDPE), and 5 (Polypropylene or PP) are also widely
used for food/drink products, not limited to plastic bottles1.

According to studies by Wagner and Oehlmann, and Muncke, the endocrine disruptors mentioned by the GMA article are present in
PET bottles. Even at low concentrations, chronic exposure to EDCs is toxicologically relevant. Concerns increase when humans are
exposed to mixtures of similar acting EDCs and/or during sensitive windows of development2.

This is especially troubling in terms of public health, as PET bottles are a very common product here in the Philippines, used by virtually
everyone. Not enough is being done by the DOH and other relevant departments to push for more public awareness and action on this
issue. Having said that, we should also conduct our own studies in the context of the Philippines so that a more informed frame of
reference can be applied for the Filipino people.

3. Is the recommendation of the agency reasonable? Why or why not?

It is fairly reasonable on paper, but many Filipinos may have a difficult time adapting to this recommendation. There is a need to reuse
bottles as to not generate more waste, and there are many different possible uses within the household that are not related to
food/drink. However, not all Filipinos can afford to invest in higher quality food/water containers. In the video, the lady being interviewed
stated that she reused the PET water bottle for a whole week in order to save money. The economic capabilities of common Filipinos
and urgent public health concerns need to be further assessed and addressed by the relevant government agencies and departments.

With conservation efforts, there is always a tendency to blame consumerism and adaptation of the customers to further preserve the
environment by having the consumers adapt. As earlier mentioned, some recommendations cannot be easily acquired due to economic
limitations, and so the government itself has to launch initiatives themselves with laws in order to stop environmental issues from its
root while still providing healthier alternatives.

4. Considering that the Philippines is among the largest producer of plastic wastes, what policy should be crafted
regarding the use of PET for plastic bottles?
There should be urgent and widespread effort to educate the general public regarding the state of plastic production in the Philippines,
and the environmental and health risks of this. There is definitely a lack of awareness, and this is directly reflected in the statistics
regarding production of plastic waste. To address a monumental such as this, the policies that must be forwarded should be on the
aspect of education, first and foremost. Other policies should also prioritize the support and funding of local scientific research efforts
regarding this, in order to hopefully mitigate this phenomenon, and look into more viable alternatives or patents.

In the long run, we should push for policies that will implement at least a partial (hopefully, eventually a total) ban on PET for plastic
bottles. As stated by the FDA, bottles with the resin identification codes 2, 4, and 5 are safer to reuse. It may be an uphill battle, but
nothing may happen without effort and proper information dissemination.

However, there are still certain things to be considered with a ban on something that has been a staple, such as alternatives to plastic
bottles and their accessibility and affordability, as well as their resilience compared to standard PET bottles. Aside from education and a
small ban, there is also the possibility of supporting businesses like waste-free alternative products that makes efforts to avoid the
problem or attempt to curb the damage. While this can most likely only affect a small fraction of the population at, as current waste-free
alternatives may not be accessible to everyone due to prices, the government’s efforts can make it so in the longer run.

5. Suggest alternatives for the use of plastic in packaging drinking water, taking into account public safety, present
sanitation levels and existing sewerage system in the Philippines.

1
​American Chemistry Council. ​Plastic Packaging Resins​. American Chemistry Council, pp. 1-2,
https://plastics.americanchemistry.com/Plastic-Resin-Codes-PDF/. Accessed 20 Apr 2018.
2
​Muncke, Jane. "Exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Compounds via the Food Chain: Is Packaging a Relevant Source?." ​Science of the
Total Environment​, vol. 407, no. 16, Aug. 2009, pp. 4549-4559. EBSCO​host​, doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2009.05.006.
There have been studies and products being tested regarding red algae-based (or ​lumut​) water containers, or even starch based
containers (which are already available on the market). Being an agricultural country, and an archipelago at that, this could be feasible.

Dissolvable water container made from red algae Biodegradable cornstarch based food/drink containers

Dr. Gavino Torno Jr., professor emeritus and UPMSI national scientist, alongside the UP Marine Science Institute, conducted a study
regarding red algae found in the Philippines (specifically Halymenia durvillei Bory de Saint Vincent). According to this study, this offers
huge economic benefits as a source of food and component for industrial products3. With more R&D and public demand, algae-based
food/drink containers could become a feasible possibility, at least to serve as a viable alternative.

As for the starch based containers, these are already presented as alternatives. However, these are less commonly found in
supermarkets/stores, and they are pricier than the common PET plastic products. If these alternatives were made more accessible to
common Filipinos, using these biodegradable and more easily-dissolvable products could improve our current environment and public
health situation.

Another alternative may be taken inspiration from another country. In India, Narayana Peesapaty and Pradnya Keskar invented edible
cutlery back in 2011 as they found that plastic spoons are full of toxins. Using Millet blended with rice as the main ingredient, these
make the cutlery 100% biodegradable, natural, vegetarian and vegan. They hope to be able to mass produce their product as cheap as
plastic4.

Edible Cutlery created with Millet as a main ingredient

Another option may be to make public drinking water stations more accessible. Several malls’ foodcourts do come with drinking water
as well as an accompanying station for cups; however some have completely eliminated this feature to make customers buy bottled
water from their stalls. Having more drinking fountains around public places may completely eliminate the need for storing water as they
can drink water from several nearby stations.

If this may not be feasible, making reusable water jugs more accessible to the public can be an option. Containers made out of glass,
rubber or metal has been popular options for reusable jugs, as they last longer than food-grade plastic. One thing to consider however
is the price of producing these products, how easily they can be obtained, as well as the jugs’ shelf life and how easily they can be
recycled or cleaned -- glass can also break and metal can possibly rust with poor care; however broken glass can be easily molten
down to something else.

3
​Konstantin Galvez, Jamses. "Red Algae Offers Economic Benefits". ​The Manila Times Online​, 2015,
http://www.manilatimes.net/red-algae-offers-economic-benefits/174672/. Accessed 20 Apr 2018.
4
​Reporter, Staff. “WATCH: An Indian Company Makes Edible Cutlery.” ​IOL Business Report​, 5 Feb. 2018,
www.iol.co.za/business-report/watch-an-indian-company-makes-edible-cutlery-12476245.