Youth group urges use of paper bags in relief operations

MANILA, Philippines - A youth organization yesterday appealed to groups distributing relief goods to use paper bags instead of plastic bags and styrofoam because these containers would only worsen the garbage situation in flooded areas.

“The idea here is to mitigate the impact of the destruction brought by the flooding on the victims and at the same time, reduce the impact on the environment,” said Pau Duman of Akbayan Youth.

Akbayan Youth packs relief goods using paper bags and they only use plastic in wrapping the rice to make sure it will not be soaked in submerged areas.

“At the moment, the garbage situation in most affected areas (is) dire and using non-biodegradable materials will only worsen the situation,” he said.

Akbayan Youth is also asking for paper bag donations to hasten the shift from plastic to paper in relief operation centers.

In a related development, Mayor Domingo Doctor Jr. of Burgos, Pangasinan is implementing an anti-plastic ordinance in his area, and is encouraging fellow mayors to do the same.

“Look what we saw during the flooding – plastic bags and similar materials hanging in the trees or telephone lines while canals were severely clogged because of it,” he said in a media forum in Dagupan City yesterday.