The 25ft-high tidal wave of rubbish that highlights just why plastic shopping bags and Styrofoam food containers are banned in Manila from today

• The move comes as part of escalating efforts across the nation's capital to curb rubbish blamed for deadly flooding

• Makati City's Plastic Monitoring Task Force were out on the streets looking for vendors ignoring the new rules

By Jill Reilly

PUBLISHED: 09:58 EST, 20 June 2013 | UPDATED: 10:04 EST, 20 June 2013
 

The Philippines financial capital has banned disposable plastic shopping bags and Styrofoam food containers from today.
The move comes as part of escalating efforts across the nation's capital to curb rubbish blamed for deadly flooding.
Just hours after the ban was introduced, members of Makati City's Plastic Monitoring Task Force were out on the streets looking for vendors that were ignoring the new rules. 

A 25ft-high tidal wave of rubbish: The Philippines financial capital banned disposable plastic shopping bags and styrofoam food containers as part of escalating efforts across the nation's capital to curb rubbish that exacerbates deadly flooding

Cause: Men play basketball near the dump site - the project officer of Makati's environmental services department, said cutting down on plastic was vital to stop the clogging of the city's waterways, which is widely blamed for contributing to floods

Food wrapped in plastic is still available, but Makati, one of 17 cities or districts that make up Metro Manila, has gone ahead with banning plastic bags.
Prexy Macana, project officer of Makati's environmental services department, told AFP that scaling back the use of plastic bags was essential to halt the clogging of the city's waterways, which is widely blamed for contributing to floods.

'During our bi-monthly wastewater clean-ups, we found most of the garbage is plastics,' she said.

Flooding is common in Manlia - last August the Philippine capital was brought to a near standstill by flooding after almost 24 hours of continuous rain - it left nine dead and scores homeless.

The previous year flash floods in the Philippines left a death toll of 1000. 

Nature ruined: Fishermen sit on a rubbish-filled riverbank at a dump site in Manila. Consumers are now being given the option of paper alternatives or not using a bag at all

Making a living: A man arranges used plastic bottles on a truck to be sold at a shop in Manila

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