To reduce plastic wastes that are one of the major causes of flooding and pollution. Plastic wastes are not only clogging drainage areas but also the majority of this goes directly to the ocean harming marine animals. Most of the locals as well are still burning plastic wastes which is very harmful for the environment.

Rambo has been working as a Kalesa horse for more than 15 years. He trudges in at 7:00 am in Intramuros so that he can transport four to eight people - excluding the coachman / cochero - around the Walled City. Rambo is supposed to show these tourists the very best of Philippine culture and heritage. But the sad reality? Kalesa horses like Rambo live miserable lives. They are overloaded, overworked and they are made to work in poor health conditions without seeing an equine veterinarian for most of their working lives. Currently, six (6) to eight (8) people, excluding the cochero, are allowed to ride the calesas in Intramuros. DOT rules and regulations clearly state that there should only be two passengers for calesas. (See http://accreditationonline.tourism.gov.ph/Downloadables/Standards/2000%20Rules%20and%20Regulations%20Governing%20the%20Accreditation%20of%20Calesas%20Providing%20Transport%20Services%20to%20Tourists.pdf ) While cocheros or coachmen say that the horses "rest", the horses do not get a reprieve from the heavy calesa strapped to them during their so-called "rest periods". Many of the horses have contraptions attached to their heads that do not allow them to stretch their necks downwards. Quarterly inspection of hooves, deworming, annual filing of teeth (floating) by an equine veterinarian are extremely important for a working horse. But Rambo and his colleagues have never seen a horse doctor. They will be worked until they are lame. And when they have 'walking problems', that is the only time that a veterinarian will be called in -- if they are lucky. Most of the time though, the cocheros make do with old wives' concoctions - ranging from motor oil rubbed on wounds and open sores, and bleeding them out themselves to 'cure' them of lameness. Kalesa horses take a long walk back to a stable somewhere in Tondo by 7:00pm. The stables have never been inspected by the BAI-Animal Welfare Division. The small stables do not allow animals like them to lie down. People believe that horses sleep standing up. Many do not know that horses also need to lie down. Rambo works as an Intramuros kalesa horse. Photographs are taken. Fees are paid. But he does not "live". He exists. And he can only hope that people will speak up for him, before it is too late.

**#DidYouKnow** Many products are packaged in ‘recyclable’ plastic material that is not recyclable at all. ‘Recyclable’ plastic waste, usually mixed with a significant share of contaminants, has been shipped for years from rich economies to weaker economies. But often, the recycling of exported plastic waste is a MYTH! Check out this video from Greenpeace Malaysia to know more about the Recycling Myth: https://youtu.be/yw-sZ2Asa8U https://www.greenpeace.org/static/planet4-philippines-stateless/2022/06/b46d0de0-stopshippingplasticwaste-2.png - **The plastic waste trade is a source of ocean pollution.** An estimated 80% of marine debris stems from plastic[1], which includes consumer products and packaging, and domestic waste. A portion of that volume comes from plastic waste that had been shipped for recycling. Researchers estimated that up to 31% of polyethylene (PE) plastic waste exported from Europe is not recycled at all[2], with as much as 24% of the rejected plastic potentially ending up as marine pollution. - **Plastic waste exports drive plastic production.** When countries ship their plastic waste to other countries under the guise of ‘recycling’ - corporations can continue to manufacture plastics[3] with impunity. If countries were forced to deal with their own plastic waste, they might be more wary of producing massive quantities of plastics that will persist in their environments for centuries. - **Plastic waste exports unjustly impacts the environment and communities in the Global South.** Due to pollution crimes[4] such as the illegal trafficking, dumping, and burning of plastic waste, the plastic waste trade often has **severe implications for the health of the environment and the people in destination countries,** causing the toxic pollution of soil, air, and water from waste that they did not create. - **Plastic waste exportation is equivalent to waste colonialism.** By shipping plastic waste, rich countries can enjoy convenience and unlimited consumption while shifting the blame and the responsibility of tackling plastic pollution onto developing countries - most of which are ill-equipped in terms of infrastructure and technology to handle their own domestic plastic waste. The traded plastic waste ‘leaks’ into rivers and the ocean at every stage of the transportation process, even during storage and recycling. - **The plastic waste trade is a false solution. #PlugtheLeak** Strategies to stop plastic litter and microplastics from leaking into the oceans, including increased recycling, will be ineffective if plastic waste continues to be transported to other countries, while plastic production and consumption keep increasing. https://www.greenpeace.org/static/planet4-philippines-stateless/2022/06/f9309fcf-stopshippingplasticwaste-4.png The real solution requires changing the practice of disposing of plastic waste via exports. Shipping companies must stop transporting plastic waste from rich to weaker economies. This safeguards communities in receiving countries from unjust waste trade practices, and protects our environment from plastic pollution. Doing so would better align shipping companies with their sustainability commitments, especially those in line with SDG 14’s targets to reduce marine pollution and protect marine ecosystems. To **#PlugtheLeak** in river and ocean pollution, we have to **#StopShippingPlasticWaste!** https://www.greenpeace.org/static/planet4-philippines-stateless/2022/06/2929d7fe-stopshippingplasticwaste-3.png Companies like Maersk offer excuses for why they will not stop shipping plastic waste[5], yet we know that this shift is possible! From 1 June 2022 onwards, the French shipping company CMA CGM will no longer carry plastic waste on board its ships[6]. Here’s why CMA CGM decided to stop plastic waste trade: https://youtu.be/5XIvRdeVgQo This was after the Shipping Lines Campaign asked the company to rethink their waste trade policy — demonstrating that concerted efforts targeted at shipping companies, like this petition, do work! **Tell the world’s top shipping companies — Maersk (Denmark), Hapag-Lloyd (Germany), MSC (Switzerland), Hamburg Sud (Germany), COSCO (China), Orient Shipping (Jordan), and Dole Ocean Cargo (United States) — to #StopShippingPlasticWaste.** If you are located in Denmark you may also sign Plastic Change's petition calling on Danish company Maersk here: https://plasticchange.dk/maersk/ To know more about waste trade, head over to Break Free from Plastic’s page: https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/waste-trade/ Petition supported by: https://www.greenpeace.org/static/planet4-philippines-stateless/2023/05/bc066f28-collaborating-organizations-e1683710980592.png **Reading Resources** Follow the progress of the Shipping Lines Campaign here: https://www.ban.org/plastic-waste-transparency-project-hub/shipping-lines-campaign [1] Marine Plastic Pollution - IUCN (Nov 2021) | https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-briefs/marine-plastic-pollution [2] Recycling of European plastic is a pathway for plastic debris in the ocean - Environment International (Sep 2020) | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2020.105893 [3] The truth behind trash - Environmental Investigation Agency | https://eia-international.org/wp-content/uploads/EIA-The-Truth-Behind-Trash-FINAL.pdf [4] Pollution Crime - INTERPOL | https://www.interpol.int/en/Crimes/Environmental-crime/Pollution-crime [5] Maersk on why they won’t stop plastic waste trade | https://www.tj-chinafreight.com/maersk-bars-on-cma-cgm-we-oppose-stopping-plastic-waste/ [6] Plastic ban onboard CMA-CGM ships | https://www.cma-cgm.com/news/4064/plastic-ban-onboard-our-ships [7] TRASHED – A Briefing Paper on Plastic Waste Trade in Asia Pacific https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PlasticWasteTrade_BriefingPaper_Final_min.pdf