The tides are changing when it comes to single-use plastic, and some places are catching up to the need to forgo this problematic, polluting material.
A city in the Philippines has taken the facts about plastic and used them to create change.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte implemented a ban on disposable and single-use plastic products within Quezon City Hall and other city-owned buildings.
According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the ban went into effect on April 21, 2025, and prohibits "the use of plastic bags and packaging, styrofoam (polystyrene materials), disposable dishware such as paper plates, plastic utensils, PET bottles, [and] plastic and paper cups."
Bans on plastic are growing popular across the world. California is set to ban plastic bags by 2026, and Oregon and Illinois have similar proposals in the works.
The issues surrounding single-use plastic continue piling up. While more obvious ones include its tendency to end up in the oceans, harming sea life and water resources, newer research shows how plastic harms our bodies.
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Studies have revealed that plastic can interact with the body's natural functions to create health problems such as infertility and cancer. Even more recently, a study published in Nature Medicine showed the link between plastic found in the brain and cognitive issues such as dementia.
On the various negative repercussions of plastic, Belmonte said, "This is precisely why the city government is pioneering policies and long-term solutions to reduce plastic use and advance sustainability," per the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
While the move to cease plastic use in one city's buildings may seem like a small-scale change, decisions like this one can ripple out into the rest of the country and the world. By keeping single-use plastic out of one area, the hope is that the trend will spread, ridding as much of the Earth as possible of the pollution and toxins associated with disposable plastics.
"We hope that this policy inspires other government units and private institutions to champion circular economy and sustainability, and to reduce—or avoid—unnecessary plastic waste," Belmonte said.
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Yes 💯 Though not all of us have the ability to enact immediate legislative change, by reducing your personal use of plastics and instead turning toward greener, cleaner options, you can take part in the possibility of a plastic-free future.
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