STORY: Stretching across an area as vast as five soccer fields, this massive landfill highlights the scale of the plastic waste crisis gripping Southeast Asia.
A crisis fueled by these palm-sized pouches, which are widely used in emerging markets to sell cheap, single-use portions of everyday essentials.
:: GFX: THIS EARTH
:: Manila, Philippines
Gemma Gerolaga, a resident of Manila, starts her day with a cup of instant coffee made from a sachet.
From meal preparations to daily essentials like shampoo and toothpaste, her family relies on them.
“When we wake up in the morning and brush our teeth, we use toothpaste packed in sachets. When I drink coffee, and my children drink Milo and milk, we still use sachets.”
Every day, her family accumulates an entire bag of plastic trash.
“These are the sachets that we’ve used today. We’ve used shampoo, coffee, condiments, cupcakes, bread, and Zesto juice pack. These are usually what we consume daily”.
Made of layers of plastic and aluminum, sachets are nearly impossible to recycle and aren’t biodegradable.
But Gerolaga says that for many Filipinos they are the only affordable option.
Over 163 million sachets are used every day in the Philippines.
That’s according to a study by environmental group The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives.
Many are swept out to sea by garbage-strewn rivers flowing through overcrowded cities like Manila.
The country is the world’s top contributor to ocean plastic pollution.
It accounts for 36% of global inputs, according to a report from Oxford University.
This week, negotiators are in South Korea for the final U.N. session to agree on globally binding rules on plastics.
The outcome could have a profound impact on the environment.
But Gerolaga also fears her family will be left helpless, if the use of sachets is curbed.
“I agree that plastics are harmful to the environment—they are the main cause of flooding and pollution. But what choice do common and marginalized people have? Small sachets are all we can afford to buy.”
