As the Philippines remained to be the third-largest producer of plastic waste that made its way to our oceans, Senator Cynthia A. Villar on Friday conceded that single-use plastic might be impossible to ban.
“Yes, baka impossible to ban,” said Villar, chairman of the Senate committee on environment and natural resources.
Villar said she is yet to hear any replacement for single-use plastic.
The senator, however, said a possible remedy is to recycle single-use plastic, “unless an opinion for its replacement will surface.”
“I have read many articles abroad. What we can do is require them to recycle the single-use plastic, not prohibit since I have not heard of packaging other than glass,” said Villar.
“Maybe if they can recycle their packaging, that’s okay. But if they cannot, then technology should be tapped to invent something that can replace single-use plastic,” Villar said.
She said that at present, there are no products yet where single-plastic use is prohibited.
“No products. We are not yet prohibiting single-use plastic because it is the cheapest, but “we can recycle it, we can allow. And I don’t think they have a replacement,” related Villar.
Earlier, Villar conducted a hearing on Senate Bill No. 1331 or the Extended Producers Responsibility Act of 2020 that will mandate manufacturers to be responsible for the management of their plastic products.
The proposed measure authored by Villar also seeks to institutionalize the practice of EPR in waste management. It also amends the 20-year-old Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.
“This measure makes sure that the responsibility for the entire life cycle of plastic products rests on the manufacturers. It will mandate manufacturers to recover plastic wastes from their products as a mechanism towards achieving an efficient solid waste management,” Villar said.
Villar said there are indications that the industry would welcome the EPR approach, citing the declaration signed last month by the members of the Philippine Alliance for Recycling and Materials Sustainability (PARMS) to engage in activities that are in harmony with EPR.
PARMS, a multi-stakeholder coalition of corporations mostly from the fast-moving consumer goods sector, retailers, and industry groups, committed to reduce waste generation through packaging redesign and the voluntary withdrawal of non-recyclable products and packaging materials . the group also committed to recover waste by embarking on waste collection across communities; and to recycle wastes by increasing application for recycled materials and strengthening investments in the recycling industry.
The Nacionalista Party senator also authored Senate Bill 333 or the Single-Use Plastic Product Regulation Act, which seeks to regulate the manufacturing, importation, and single-use of plastic products.
Also under the bill, the issuance of the single-use plastics by food establishments, stores, markets, and retailers will be prohibited. Consumers will also be diverted to use reusable materials and manufacturers will be mandated to collect, recycle and dispose of single-use plastics manufactured and/or in circulation in the general market. Importation of single-use plastics will no longer be allowed.
