Ka-plastic-an

By Marifi Jara

QUELIMANE, Mozambique–Plastic = synthetic.

So when we say (Filipinos, that is) “Ang plastic mo!” (You’re so plastic), it means you are being a fake, putting up a front, not being true to what you really feel, speaking and acting in ways that do not show what you really think. This is not always a condemnation because doing it — magpaka-plastic, mag-plastic-an — is understood and accepted to be necessary in situations when civility calls for cordial manners. Ka-plastic-an then is essentially a state, an attitude of either being pretentious or gracious. I would love to stretch this out to plastic surgery — the cosmetic kind for vanity reasons and not the corrective or functional sort — but that would be straying too far now.

I just wanted to clear that other meaning out because what I’m actually driving at is ka-plastic-an literally, which is the stuff around that are made of plastic.

NO PLASTIC, PLEASE–My African-made
basket bags (bayong), perfect for no-plastic
shopping strolls around town and as storage bins.

Back in 2004, when I first availed of SM’s green bag, a literally green-colored carrier made of cloth (now they have a variety of nice designs), I felt mighty proud for doing my teeny bit for Mother Earth. At that time, the chain-of-malls’ green bag project was a tie-up with a credit card company such that you got reward points if you used the bag while you splurged at their shops. The cashiers had no trouble with that, the whole payment and billing programs were synchronized, the reward point was automatically credited to the striving-to-be-a-nature-lover shopper. Everyone — the businessmen, the worker, the shopper — feels good about helping save the environment. Then come the uninitiated baggers, who were obviously forgotten to be gathered in for a briefing about the scheme. And so they go on to pack your goods in a plastic bag, seal it well with quadruple snaps of a stapler, then stuff it into your green bag with a smile and a “thank you for shopping!” send-off. Every time I asked to do away with the plastic bag, I was met with a shocked and uncomprehending face even after explaining that it defeats the whole “green” idea behind it. I can almost hear them think: well we got quite a strange one here. But that was six years ago. Things have improved. The baggers have been enlightened. Last time I shopped, they no longer thought me strange for not wanting a plastic bag.

Sadly though, plastic bags by and large remain a coveted item. People like it because it’s cheap (shoppers get it for free!), convenient (no need to wash!), and who said it’s not recyclable (it’s a perfect trash bag!). And therein lies the environmental hazzard. Plastic=Non-biodegradable.

Hereabout, oh how beloved plastic bags are too. It used to be that when I would go to the many small shops (biggish garitas/sari-sari stores), as there is no big supermarket here, and the public market armed with a bag or a bayong and ask that my purchases be put straight into it, I would get a déjà vu of that well-we-got-quite-a-strange-one-here look.

Some store owners would even so amiably insist that I take the plastic bag, short of telling me: c’mon don’t be silly my dear, it’s free! On more than one occasion, I drew laughter when I tried to explain that plastic is not good for the environment. I’m not sure though if they found the idea funny or they just thought I speak Portuguese funny.

Oh well, now we got our suki shops and suki market merchants and they know the no-plastic routine. Maybe some of them continue to think it strange, but hey, a small effort to minimize all these kaplastican is still one good turn for Mother Earth.

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