How long does it take garbage to decompose? Do you know it? According to scientists, plastic items could take up to 500 years to decompose in landfills. Plastic pollution is one of the biggest issue worldwide, with statistic showing that there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish by 2050 if we do not change our habits. A simple example of the consequence of this ecological disaster, this year, a whale has died in southern Thailand after swallowing more than 80 plastic bags. In Myanmar, 80 million plastic bags are used every day and over 1690 tons of garbage is generated per day on the average from townships in Yangon Region, and 10 % of them are plastic waste. The situation is certainly not going to improve. Indeed, plastic bottles and solid waste production tripled in the last 5 years.
In 2014, The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) - which is a method of quantifying and numerically marking the environmental performance of a state's policies- ranked Myanmar 164 out of 178 countries analyzed. According to the EPI, almost every aspect of performance related to regulation or infrastructure has scores among the lowest globally. For instance, Wastewater treatment was ranked 145. In addition, ecosystem vitality and protection of terrestrial biodiversity come out as particularly weak as Environmental health was ranked 137 with a score of 41.39. Forest and water resources as seen as the main Environmental Concerns basing on the Environmental Performance Assessment funded by the Asian Development Bank and the United Nations Environment Programme.
However, Myanmar government tries to tackle this issue through law and regulations. In its Constitution of 2008, Sec. 45 states that “The Union shall protect and conserve natural environment” and according to Sec. 390 (b) “Every citizen has the duty to assist the Union carrying out the environmental conservation”. Moreover, in his report, Dr. San Oo Director of Environmental Conservation Department, describes “sustainability Roadmap for Myanmar” whose legal framework is mainly based on two laws.
First, the Environmental Conservation Law (2012) which was enacted in order to “emerge a healthy and clean environment and to enable to conserve natural and cultural heritage for the benefit of present and future generations; to reclaim ecosystems as may be possible which are starting to degenerate and disappear; to enable to manage and implement for decrease and loss of natural resources and for enabling the sustainable use beneficially (…)” and was completed 2 years later by Environmental Conservation Rules (2014)
Second, the Environmental Impact Assessment Procedures (EIA) (2016) drafted with support from Asian Development Bank and based on guidelines from the International Finance Corporation. Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry Daw Thet Then Zin said the EIA process helps identify possible consequences of projects on socioeconomic development, and minimise their impact on the environment.
Myanmar Foreign Investment Law (2012) including provisions to restrict or prohibit investment activities which affect public health, the environment and ecosystems, which produce toxic waste or which engage with toxic chemicals; duties of investors to conduct business in such a way as to avoid environmental damage, air and water pollution, in accordance with existing laws
However, according to U Win Myo Thu, a well-known environmentalist these laws will be enforced only if the state succeeds in eliminating the corruption that has contributed to the degradation of the environment under the former military regime. This implies a real effort to raise public awareness, and in particular officials.
Moreover, Myanmar’s environmental administration does not currently have sufficient capacity to effectively respond to all the environmental issues the country faces. Indeed, according to Chief Minister, Yangon Region Government, U Phyo Min Thein "Plastic waste has very huge impact to our environment so we need to distribute plastic substitute bags and items for the people. It has a little difficulties as we cannot give substitute things. We need to practice environmental conservation so all are responsible to keep it."
Associations and companies also try to take measures for protecting the environment. For instance RecyGo, a recycling service company, whose business began since 2017 is the first registered waste management company in the country. It provides different services such as waste segregation, waste awareness training, waste collection service and logistic service to recycling centres and general waste to the dump site.
“Thant Myanmar”, which is a movement fighting plastic pollution in Myanmar, launched several communication campaigns on social network such as #Beat Plastic Pollution in Myanmar#. The 8th June, for world Ocean Contest day they proposed to get 1 Thant tote bag if you bring 10 used plastic bottles.
They also organize the implementation of the “Refill not landfill” initiative in Myanmar. Initially set up in Cambodia, the campaign aims to cut down on the millions of plastic water bottles discarded each year by offering an alternative: reusable aluminum bottles. Bottles can be refilled free of charge at designated venues across the country which are localizable by scanning the QR code printed on the bottle. As a bottle can last up 3-4 years, it could potentially replace around 4300 plastic bottles (approximately 1460 bottles every year) which therefore would not end up in the landfill.
During the conference Connect Breakfast - World Environment Day organized by the French Myanmar Chamber of Commerce (CCIFM), Boris Le Montagner, a representative of Thant, said “everybody can do something, it’s easy”. Céline Guyomarc´h, General Manager of Melia Yangon Hotel, however, highlighted that although it was correct that actions could certainly be taken at different levels - Melia Yangon is already replacing plastic straws by bamboo ones - considering it something easy was not exactly correct. In the hospitality sector, especially for hotels handling big operations, certain actions would require a proper analysis to insure that both quality and hygiene standards are met.
Soft drinks giant Coca-Cola Myanmar has launched a nationwide recycling awareness campaign called “Tan Bo Shi Tal” which literally means “it has value” and colloquially “it’s worth it” in Myanmar language. The goal is to highlight the importance of bottle and can segregation at all steps. Moreover, The Coca-Cola-commissioned Gone Adventurin report details the current packaging collection and recycling infrastructure and material flows of PET and aluminium in Yangon and Mandalay. According to an article of Myanmar Times, the study reveals that PET bottle and aluminium collection rates are some of the highest in Southeast Asia. For example, Yangon collects 74pc of its post-consumer plastic PET bottles and 86pc of its aluminium cans, and Mandalay 83pc of bottles and 91pc of cans. Coca-Cola in Myanmar is also collaborating with the “Doh Eain” to deliver a garden alleyway revitalisation project and with the domestic social enterprise Hla Day to produce artisan crafts made from recycled Coca-Cola materials. These are in line with the firm’s recently launched packaging initiative “World Without Waste.”
Even if there is still a long path towards a sustainable development in Myanmar, all these different projects show that there is a rise of awareness about the necessity to protect environment.
