(We yield this space to the petition of environmentalists and concerned individuals on the proposed plastic ban due to its significance. – Ed.)
SINGLE-USE plastic (SUP) is designed to be used once but it lasts for decades into our ecosystem. It is made of fossil fuel and greenhouse gases that are emitted in every stage of its product life cycle. When discarded into the environment, it breaks down into smaller pieces called micro plastics and has found its way into the food chain and water that we drink.
The House of Representatives recently passed House Bill No. 9147 or Single-use Plastic Products Regulation Act. We now call on the Senate to pass a tougher and more comprehensive bill anchored on upstream solutions as opposed to end-of-life waste management. We emphasize the following actions:
* Immediate Timeline for Phasing Out Single-Use Plastics. We have already reached the breaking point where our market is flooded by single-use plastic products and packaging, of which less than 10% were properly recovered and recycled. Given the sheer volume of plastic waste in the country, recycling is no longer enough. We need to turn off the tap and set a timeline for the National Solid Waste Management Commission to immediately phase out single use plastic products.
* New Law should be Consistent with Ecological Solid Waste Management Act (Republic Act No. 9003) and Clean Air Act (Republic Act No. 8749). For better implementation, along with our world recognized environmental laws, the provisions of the proposed SUP regulation should align with, rather than seek to repeal, important provisions in RA 9003 and RA 8749. It has been two decades since the passage of both laws but the implementation still falls short.
* Sustainable Systems, Reusability of Products. As the world transitions from a linear to circular economy, we cannot continue enabling the current system that pollutes. Compostable plastic and recycling systems are still linear. The law should promote and provide incentives for alternative delivery systems – e.g., refills-and-deposit schemes – that aim to replace single-use packaging such as sachets.
* Mandate Producers to Cut-back on Use of Single-use Plastic. The proposed SUP regulation should also emphasize the primary responsibility of producers and manufacturers to drastically cut-back the plastic waste created by their products and goods.
We already have 488 local government units with ordinances prohibiting or regulating the distribution and use of single-use plastic in their jurisdictions. Now is the time for Congress to pass a comprehensive national ban on single-use plastics. The 2022 national election is fast approaching, we cannot and should not wait for another set of legislators to end the plastic waste crisis.
