Columban lay missionary Michael Javier. Photo: Michael Javier
Nowadays, people are using plastic more often. When we go to the market, almost everything is packed or wrapped in plastic, whether food or any other personal or household items. For me, this is a big challenge our world is facing now: the massive amount of plastic in our garbage. Some just throw them everywhere. Worse, they just throw plastic on the rivers, contaminating the ocean and affecting the well-being of some, if not all, of the sea creatures.
While in my first mission in Chile as a Columban Lay Missionary ten years ago, I collected our plastic trash for the Dominican sisters to collect. Then they donated this to an organisation to build something with it. At times, we did the collecting together while explaining to me what the project was all about. Even if I did not fully understand it, all I was concerned about was not throwing garbage anywhere, especially plastics, to help keep the environment healthy.
Reusing plastic with the help of other community members. Photo: Michael Javier
Here in Myanmar, the issue of “plastic pollution” is very similar to that in Chile. They use a lot of plastic on any occasion or celebration: balloons and other non-biodegradable materials for decoration, chopsticks in plastic, water served in small plastic bottles, and, most of the time, they cover each table with single-use plastic. After the event, they improperly disposed of the waste, throwing it in the trash and scattering it everywhere.
Being aware of this problem, I usually bring my plastic trash home, regardless of its size. At the Columban central house, I patiently collect plastics, as I did in Chile. After a few weeks of accumulation, I use them as “bricks” around the plants. For those big and thick plastics, I reuse them by putting soil in them, where I plant some vegetables like mustard, chillies, lettuce, etc. Many times, people misunderstood me for collecting plastics, thinking that I was crazy to collect trash. It doesn’t bother me at all. Instead, I use this opportunity to educate them about the effect on the environment if we keep on burning plastics and just dump them anywhere.
Columban lay missionary Michael Javier lives and works in Myanmar.
Related links
- Read more from the current Columban eBulletin
