House Bill No. 8692, or the “Ban on Single-use Plastic Products” was recently filed at the House of Representatives at the start of January.
It calls for a total ban on single-use plastics, as well as a phase-out plan for plastics already in use. The bill still has to go through the approval process by Congress, but it has already gained traction.
There is a lot of hope that the bill could make a significant impact on the waste produced in the Philippines. An explanatory note of the bill describes it as: “seeking to ban single-use products and to encourage manufacturers and consumers to use more sustainable and environmental-friendly products.”
Aside from banning establishments like restaurants and retail stores from using plastic, the bill also disallows the manufacturing, importing and selling of single-use plastics. These plastics products would include straws, cups, sachets, shopping bags, food containers, and more. The ban would take full effect one year after the bill is passed.
Additional provisions to the bill include creating local recycling centers and establishing awareness programs for recycling. It also calls for the “collection, recycling, and proper disposal by the manufacturers of single-use plastic products already in circulation.
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The trend of banning plastic has already taken off globally, with countries like New Zealand and institutions like the European Union making similar commitments. It also comes on the heels of studies by the United Nations stating that a plastic ban is one of the most effective combatants to pollution.
(WATCH: There’s an Actual ‘Sea of Trash’ on Roxas Boulevard)
What are you doing to save the environment?
Source: BusinessWorld
