Today (February 3) marks International Straw Free Day, but why stop there? The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has announced today that plastic straws and coffee stirrers may be banned in the Philippines soon.
Yesterday, the National Solid Waste Management Commission added plastic stirrers and straws to a list of non-environmentally-acceptable products, and under the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 or Republic Act 9003, any items on that list should be banned.
Benny Antiporda, Undersecretary of the DENR, is thrilled that this list has now commenced after two whole decades. “This is long overdue,” he says, “and we need to catch up with the demand of solid waste management in our country.”
He adds: “The prohibition on these two single-use plastic items may be small steps in the NEAP listing, but it is a big leap when it comes to compliance with the provisions of RA 9003.”
Let’s all do our part by saying no to plastic, in general, and making it a habit of using reusable straws and spoons for stirring!
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