Despite being enacted for nearly two decades, the implementation of Republic Act 9003, Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, remains to be a challenge. Technical, political and financial limitations have been cited as bottlenecks in the implementation. Given the status quo, it is crucial that the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 is properly enforced. Furthermore, inadequate solid waste management systems and human negligence has also led to one of today's most serious concerns ---plastic pollution.

Over recent years, plastic pollution has been a global concern and has therefore received increased attention. It is estimated that more than 8,300 million metric tons of virgin plastic have been produced globally. Moreover, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), merely nine percent of these tons of globally produced plastic has been recycled. Most plastics end up in landfills, dumpsites or in the environment. If no positive changes are made in current consumption patterns and waste management practices, approximately 12 billion tons of plastic litter will be in landfills and the environment by 2050. Furthermore, approximately 80 percent of ocean plastics come from land-based sources, and 20 percent from marine. It therefore becomes imperative that all actors join hands and address the large issue at hand.

This Forum on "Reversing the Current Path towards a Future Waste Crisis" will focus on why immediate action is needed to address the growing volume of wastes in the Philippines; how stakeholders should come together to contribute to the reversal of the escalating waste problem; and what immediate and medium- to long-term actions are needed to avoid a waste crisis, especially with the growing volume of medical wastes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.