Philippines joins Southeast Asian effort to end plastic waste
To help deal with plastic waste, the Philippines plans to soon put into use a new 25 million peso (481,877 USD) garbage-disposal plant in Metro Manila, the Nikkei Asia Review reported on September 14.
Plastic waste is sorted at a new recycling plant in Metro Manila. (Photo: Nikkei Asia Review)
Hanoi (VNA) – To help deal withplastic waste, the Philippines plans to soon put into use a new 25 million peso (481,877 USD) garbage-disposal plantin Metro Manila, the Nikkei Asia Review reported on September 14.
The plant is expected to pulveriseabout 1 tonne of plastic a day, equal to about 400,000 sachets of shampoo andinstant coffee, to make sidewalk blocks and other products.
The country is also getting seriousabout plastic waste imported illegally from developed countries as it announcedin August that it would impose a three-month moratorium on waste-relatedimports. It has even sent some back to Canada, which had been discoveredshipping waste illegally to the country for years.
More than 8 million tonnes ofplastic is dumped into the world's oceans each year, with China and four otherAsian nations accounting for the majority of this. Meanwhile, the mountains ofplastic waste produced globally had largely gone unnoticed until China beganreducing waste imports in 2014 before banning them outright in 2018.
With nowhere to go, the wastefound its way to Southeast Asia, with the Philippines seeing plastic wasteimports rise 150 percent from 2016 to about 11,800 tonnes in 2018.
Following Duterte'stirade, the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resourcesannounced the three-month moratorium. A department official urged businesses totake the waste matter seriously and promised to cooperate with them in theirefforts to tackle the problem.
The Global Alliance forIncinerator Alternatives has heavily criticised multinationals' reliance onsingle-use plastics, saying that nearly 60 percent of plastic packaging in thePhilippines comes from 10 multinational companies, including Nestle, Unileverand Procter & Gamble.
Moreover, investors arebeginning to focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) investmentprinciples so businesses cannot afford to ignore the issue.
Many other Southeast Asiancountries are also unhappy with multinationals over the vast amounts of plasticwaste they generate. This has prompted about 40 companies – including DowChemical and BASF – to establish the nonprofit Alliance to End Plastic Waste inJanuary./.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) and the Packaging Recycling Organisation Vietnam (Pro Vietnam) inked a deal in Hanoi on September 11 on joint efforts to reduce plastic waste.
Many agencies, units and businesses across the northern province of Phu Tho have been taking specific actions in response to the “no plastic waste” campaign.
A national drive in response to the “Clean up the world” campaign 2019 was launched in Do Son district in the northern port city of Hai Phong on September 12.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto and EAEU Trade Minister Andrey Slepnev jointly declared the conclusion of FTA talks on the sidelines of the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2025), according to the statement.
The article stressed that throughout his revolutionary career, the founder of modern Vietnam consistently regarded the revolutionary press as a vital part of the Vietnamese Party’s and nation’s revolutionary struggle.
Pichai said the trade talks with the US are important and need to move forward professionally, without regard for any political changes in Thailand, believing that Thailand has clear principles, guidelines and procedures in place.
The tax adjustment supports the Malaysian Government’s strategy to reduce reliance on foreign food supply chains and to assist domestic farmers, a finance official has said.
The proposed venue is located in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok, featuring eight public sites, including Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal and several nearby parks.
Connectivity is expected to improve further with the completion of the fifth Laos–Thailand Friendship Bridge by the end of 2025, facilitating logistics and agricultural exports to Vietnam, Thailand, and China.
Two naval gunboats intercepted a fishing vessel carrying 1.5 tonnes of methamphetamine hydrochloride off the coast of the main island of Luzon just before dawn, in a joint operation with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
In the today context of socio-economic development and growth, the professionalism of Vietnam’s revolutionary journalists continues to rise, guided by exemplary mastery of new information technologies and the modernisation of their founding principles to preserve the enduring values of revolutionary journalism.
Thai Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Vuttikrai Leewiraphan Thailand's formal proposal will be substantial enough for the US to consider further detailed negotiations. He hoped for a tariff rate not exceeding 10% and suggested that the US might extend the negotiation period if an agreement is not reached by the July 8 deadline.
Organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Association of Thai Silk & Culture Promotions, the event honors Her Majesty the Queen on her 47th birthday anniversary and promotes Thai craftsmanship on an international stage.
Prensa Latina's recent article on Vietnam’s assurance of smooth and effective transition to a leaner structure highlighted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s latest directions on implementing 28 resolutions regarding the decentralisation and delegation of authority.
The lab focuses on four key thematic areas: energy transition and green innovation, sustainable agriculture, circular economy and sustainable cities, and nature-based solutions and biodiversity.
The key content of the document titled "Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Addressing the OOSCY Challenges" will be refined further in a seminar preceding the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October.
This follows Telegram’s serious failure to address the content that has been repeatedly reported to them, despite various efforts of negotiation and cooperation made by MCMC, it said.
Efforts to empower women must transcend dialogue and translate into concrete commitments, including corporate pledges and government partnerships, according to the spouse of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The forum featured two in-depth discussion sessions, engaging representatives from governments, think tanks, and businesses from both ASEAN and China, on how to forge closer ties for a common future.
The new FIFA Hub in Jakarta will not only support football development in Indonesia but also serve as a coordination centre for 21 football associations across Southeast and East Asia.
Minister Counselor Nguyen Hoang Nguyen reaffirmed Vietnam’s principled and consistent stance on the Palestine issue, calling for an immediate and lasting ceasefire across the entire Gaza Strip.
PM Anwar Ibrahim affirmed the determination of Malaysia, as ASEAN Chair for 2025, to utilise all viable regional mechanisms of the bloc and work with partners to de-escalate violence and restore a peace process led by Myanmar.
Plastic waste is sorted at a new recycling plant in Metro Manila. (Photo: Nikkei Asia Review)
