SAN JOSE, Antique – San Jose de Buenavista mayor Elmer Untaran urges the municipal council to legislate a tax for single-use plastics to encourage residents in reusing plastic bags.
Luc van Gestel, researcher of the Let’s Care Foundation who is assisting the municipality to come up with its 10-year solid waste management plan (SWM), presented his research on SWM during an environmental summit on Thursday.
The study conducted last April showed the volume of plastic waste generation in the town reaches 33,396 kilograms per week.
He said plastics, considered recyclable and residual waste, compose a big portion of garbage collected by the barangays and the municipality.
“Plastic is being generated at the households, commercial establishments, and institutions,” Gestel said.
Based on the result of the study, Untaran urged the municipal council committee on environmental protection, natural resources, ecology and development chaired by Cris John Banusing to come up with a legislation on the regulation of the single-use plastics and mineral bottles like those used in the grocery stores.
“An ordinance regulating the single-use of plastics could help reduce the waste generated in our municipality,” Untaran said.
Gestel, meanwhile, said with the urbanization of the province’s capital town, plastic waste generation could further increase through time if it not addressed now.
He added some plastic wastes were being bought by four junk shops in the municipality with a total volume of 4,825 kilograms per week and those being collected by the garbage trucks of the municipality with a volume of 26,385 kilograms per week.
However, there were “lost” plastics uncollected.
“The lost plastics are assumed to be burned, buried, and thrown on the streets or in the river,” Gestel said.
He added the total volume of uncollected plastics was 2,186 kilograms per week.
“If there will be like a P10 tax for using single-use plastics, then residents could be motivated to re-use their plastic bags,” said Gestel.(With a report from PNA/PN)
