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CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

This chapter presents the background of the study, conceptual framework,

statement of the problem, hypothesis, significance of the study, scope and delimitation of

the study, and the definition of terms.

Introduction

The use of plastic in today’s world has a big impact on every aspect of human’s

life. Almost all of the human activities include the presence of plastic: from the food we

eat, from the necessities we use and every other things we cherish, but it is also one of the

major culprit in the numerous environmental problems the world is facing right now.

The production of plastic happens to be the worst problem of the environment that

contributes to the pollution invading the ecosphere especially the marine ecosystem

where numbers of people are getting their means of living and the blocking of drainage

systems that causes flood to be imminent resulting to bigger environmental issues. Its

production until it was used even after trashing it into waste does not bring any benefit to

the biosphere. Yes, it may be useful at times but its result after all does not say it was.

People cannot even modify the future that comes along after all of these.

The rise of the “No Plastic Policy” aims to combat and to lessen the usage of

plastic in Batangas City. However, the restriction of the said policy is not strongly
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monitored as expected in the coastal areas specifically in the locality of Pinamukan

Proper, Simlong, Mabacong, and Ilijan: the barangays included in the Solid Baybay

compared in the city. The policy seems only to be effective in the city where the officials

are on duty to supervise the enactment of it compared in the coastal areas.

In the year 2011, March 28, the Local Government Unit (LGU) created a bill in

banning the use plastic in almost 27 municipalities in the Philippines specifically in

Batangas City: The Senate Bill No. 2759 - Total Plastic Bag Ban, an act prohibiting the

use of plastic bags in the groceries, restaurants, and other establishments providing the

accurate penalties for every violation. The Batangas City prohibited the use and selling of

any plastic bags or primary and secondary packaging of dried goods. That is why there

are alternative solutions that the markets are promoting: the use of eco bags and the

recycling of used papers to serve as a secondary packaging especially on the

establishments that provides brown paper bags as their shopping bags.

It was never too late, that is what the researchers are always into. The researchers

aimed to introduce and explain more about the implementation of the said policy in the

residents of the Solid Baybay. At the end of the study, the researchers are hoping that the

policy will be strictly executed in the coastal areas and will adapt the kind of

implementation that the city has. A cleaner and sterile coastal area is expected to

emanate; no plastic campaign will be promoted.

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This research contained facts and commendable issues and suggested resolutions

as well regarding the issue on the implementation and restriction of the No Plastic Policy

in Batangas City particularly in the coastal areas.

Background of the Study

The use of plastic in today's world instantly became part of everyone's living. It

can be concluded that its presence cannot be avoided anymore. Utmost of the plastic

waste end up in the bodies of water, such as seas, river and even drainage systems. It

toxicates the marine species and damage the marine sanctuary and reefs. Plastic also

affect the wildlife and destroys its habitat and worse can affect the human health caused

by various pollution in the environment. Due to the uncontrollable use of plastic that

leads into stern environmental problems, the government implemented a bill prohibiting

the use of plastic.

Plastic Ban or the Environmental Code of Batangas City, Ordinance No. 16,

Series of 2010 Section 84. Regulation on the Use of Plastic and Styrofoam Materials for

Packaging prohibits the sale, distribution, and use of plastic bags as primary and

secondary packaging materials for dry goods and as secondary packaging materials for

wet goods. There are still some goods exempt from this. It also bans the use of Styrofoam

(polystyrene) and other materials with non-biodegradable components that are being used

for food, drinks, dining utensils and beverage containers.

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Plastic bags are hereby de-categorized under non-biodegradable wastes and hence

shall not be collected during the collection schedule for non-biodegradable waste

products under the regular Solid Waste Collection program. These waste materials shall

be surrendered to their respective Barangay MRF provided that these materials must be

cleaned and dried prior to its turn over to the Barangay.

For the past years, local government units (LGU's) here in the Philippines have

been banning the use of plastic in their respective municipalities. So far, at least 27 cities

have banned the use of plastic. The main reason for banning plastic is because it is

thought of as the major culprit in blocking the drainage system. Hence, flooding is

imminent whenever there is rainfall.

There may be a lot of advantages brought by the said policy but still there are

some disadvantages that can be pointed out on the absence of plastic. Plastic has the

quality that biodegradable materials do not have. It is very obvious that plastic is more

convenient for the consumers and producers to use rather than the others.

That is maybe one of the factors why the coastal area which is far from the city

attains to still use plastic. As it was observed, the restriction of the policy in the coastal is

not really monitored compared to that in the city.

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Conceptual Framework

This study included different elements for the researchers to achieve their goal of

seeking informations about the implementation of the “No Plastic Policy” in the locality

of Batangas City that made this research paper possible. The figure below showed the

variables that will guide the entire study.

Input Output

 Respondents  Identified
advantages and
*30% of the dis advantages of
Process
total using plastic
population of the  Actions taken by
respondents ages  Random sampling the officials prior
19-21 from the of survey to the policy
three  Awareness of the
target barangays  Actual monitoring residents about
*35 to the Solid the policy
respondents from Baybay  The extent of
the city (Pinamukan restriction of the
Proper, Simlong, no plastic policy
 Survey Mabacong) will be adapted by
questionnaires the coastal areas
Prepared by  Analysis and
the researchers interpretation of
data, tables, and
figures

Figure 1. Conceptual Framework of the Study

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Prior to the process of the research study, the conceptual framework consisted the

input, process and the output that served as a guide of the researchers as they go on with

the study.

The input consisted the respondents which are 30% of the total population of the

respondents ages 19, 20, and 21 from the three target barangays identified as Pinamukan

Proper, Mabacong, and Simlong. It also included the survey questionnaires prepared by

the researchers as well as 35 respondents who are living and or working in the city.

The process or throughput included the process of giving survey questionnaires to

the residents randomly and the actual monitoring to the target barangays. After the data

gathering procedures, analysis and interpretation of the data, tables and figures.

The outputs expected by the researchers were: identified advantages and

disadvantages of using plastic; actions taken by the officials prior to the policy;

awareness of the residents about the policy; the extent of restriction of the no plastic

policy will be adapted by the coastal areas.

Statement of the Problem

The use of plastic becomes imminent and inevitable in today’s world that results

to numerous environmental problems which appears as the biggest challenge the

ecosphere is opt to for the past few years.

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Due to the identified problem, the senate came up with the solution of

implementing the Plastic Bag Ban in most of the municipalities in the country but seems

to be only acquired by the cities where the major government offices were constructed at

and not by the places near the coastal areas specifically in Batangas City.

That was why the researchers wanted to delve on the reasons and the range of

restriction of the policy.

In light of the foregoing study, the researchers seek to find answers to the

following questions:

1. What is the demographic profile of the respondents living in the coastal areas:

1.1 age;

1.2 employment; and

1.3 monthly family income?

2. What is the demographic profile of the respondents living in the city:

1.1 age;

1.2 employment; and

1.3 monthly family income?

3. How aware are the residents in the coastal areas about the implementation of the

“No Plastic Policy” in Batangas City?

4. How rampant is the use of plastic in the coastal areas?

5. What are the actions taken by the officials prior to the “No Plastic Policy”?
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6. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the implementation of the “No

Plastic Policy”?

7. What is the extent of restriction of the “No Plastic Policy” in the locality of

Batangas City?

Hypotheses

The null hypothesis tested in the study was:

H0 There is no significant difference between the restriction and implementation

of the No Plastic Policy in the city and in the coastal areas.

The alternative hypothesis tested in the study was:

H1 There is a significant difference between the restriction and implementation of

the No Plastic Policy in the city and in the coastal areas.

Significance of the Study

Eliminating the presence of plastic is the main goal of the government’s

department that engages in the conservation of the environment. This study aimed to

contribute for the benefits of the following:

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To the residents living near the coastal areas. This study will help them realize

the significance of the “No Plastic Policy” and any other policy being implemented by

the government for the betterment of the environment.

To the officials responsible in the implementation of the policy. They could

improve their actions to tighten the execution of the policy and make it more powerful

enough to succeed in the goal of the policy.

To the future researchers. This study will serve as their basis on their future

studies.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

This study focused on the factors that affect the extent of restriction of the No

Plastic Policy in the coastal areas.

This included conceptions about the implementation of the said policy and some

identified possible solutions to resolve the existing problem.

To gather informations needed to satisfy the study, sets of survey questionnaires

was disseminated to 30% of the total population of the respondents ages 19-21 from the

three target barangays: Pinamukan Proper, Simlong, and Mabacong, Batangas City and

35 respondents from the city. Actual monitoring of the resident’s attitude and habit prior

to the policy was also considered by the researchers.

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The researchers also seek out for the respondents’ opinion through a separate set

of survey questionnaires who are living or are working in the city.

Definition of Terms

For further understanding of the contents of the study, the words that the

researchers used were enumerated below:

Plastic are materials that can be reshaped (remolded) by applying heat and

pressure. Most plastics are made from synthetic resins (polymers) through the industrial

process of polymerization. Two main types of plastics are thermoplastics and thermosets

Plastic Bag a polybag or pouch is a type of container made of thin, flexible,

plastic film, nonwoven fabric, or plastic textile. Plastic bags are used for containing and

transporting goods such as foods, produce, powders, ice, magazines, chemicals, and

waste.

Polystyrene is a polymer of styrene; it is a rigid transparent thermoplastic that has

good physical and electrical insulating properties and is used especially in molded

products, foams, and sheet materials.

Styrofoam is a type of polystyrene (a type of plastic) foam that's light yet strong.

It’s often used to make take-out coffee cups and packing materials.
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Biosphere is the layer of the planet Earth where life exists. This layer ranges from

heights of up to ten kilometers above sea level, used by some birds in flight, to depths of

the ocean such as the Puerto Rico trench, at more than 8 kilometers deep.

Ecosphere also called physiological atmosphere; the part of the atmosphere in

which it is possible to breathe normally without aid

Marine Ecosystems are among the largest of Earth's aquatic ecosystems.

Examples include salt marshes, intertidal zones, estuaries, lagoons, mangroves, coral

reefs, the deep sea, and the sea floor. They can be contrasted with freshwater ecosystems,

which have a lower salt content.

Coastal Areas are commonly defined as the interface or transition areas between

land and sea, including large inland lakes. Coastal areas are diverse in function and form,

dynamic and do not lend themselves well to definition by strict spatial boundaries.

Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that

causes adverse change. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy,

such as noise, heat or light.

Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) is a specialized facility that receives,

separates, and prepares recyclable materials for marketing to end- user manufacturers.

Every Barangay has this kind of facility.