With online sale after online sale going on, it’s time to recognize the harmful environmental impacts of all the plastic accumulated for the delivery of thousands of orders. Next time a package arrives, start collecting them and donating them to PLAF.
For this edition of SEAtizens, we are putting the spotlight on The Plastic Flamingo or The Plaf, a Manila-based social enterprise that has been making the rounds in their mission to collect and transform plastics into better products.
The PLAF also aims to address the marine pollution in the country by collecting single-use plastics, like your online shopping packaging, and transform them into eco-lumbers. To donate, simply clean and dry those plastics and make sure they are free from any residual waste. The PLAF recommends washing them with soap and water then hanging them to dry afterwards.
Images from The PLAF
From there, people have three options for donating. First, you may drop off the cleaned plastics at one of their designated locations. Second, you can also opt to have these delivered via a third party service such as Grab Express or Lalamove. Finally, you can choose for them to pick up your plastics for a fee of Php 300. For all options, just make sure to let the contact person for your chosen location know that you will be donating beforehand as well as the driver for the third party service option.
For a list of drop off points and their contact persons, check out their Facebook post below. As of now they have eight locations within Metro Manila.
If you want to go a step further, you can choose to be a home collection point, which can lessen your expenses for going out, but also your carbon footprint as you won’t need to travel. Simply email them at development@theplaf.com or message them on Facebook. Those interested in getting them for a webinar may also reach out at hello@theplaf.com for more information.
While overcoming plastic pollution may seem like an audacious goal, The PLAF believes in fighting the good fight every day to address societal challenges. With their model, they have made it easier for everyone to help the planet even in the smallest ways.
For more information about The PLAF and their mission, you can check out their website at www.theplaf.com.
SEA Wave magazine’s SEAtizens initiative is a series of inspiring stories of people in Southeast Asia who champion the human spirit by demonstrating courage, ingenuity, generosity, and selflessness.