The city of Taguig is joining other local government units in Metro Manila in phasing out single-use plastics.
Mayor Lino Edgardo Cayetano, who convened the city’s Solid Waste Management Board Friday, said the local government will reduce solid waste by 80 percent in three years.
Cayetano urged residents to use canvas bags or ecobags as alternative to plastic bags when shopping for sundries such as meat, fruits, and vegetables.
The initiative came a month after the Parañaque city government announced the ban of single-use plastic in all commercial establishments.
Other cities in the National Capital Region like Makati, Quezon, Pasig, Muntinlupa, Las Piñas, and Pasay have already said no to single-use plastic.
Studies have shown that the Philippines is one of the top producers of plastic waste in the world.
The Taguig city government also announced it will establish a Sustainable Livelihood Office that will help look for eco-friendly alternatives to plastic.
“This green initiative will contribute to the overall health and well-being in Taguig, addressing flood problems and other environmental concerns,” said Cayetano.
The city chief executive said the move will also create employment opportunities for many residents such as waste collectors, monitoring staff, and MRF (materials recovery facility) caretakers.
“The key for this is information dissemination. Focusing on segregating-at-source, every household, school, business in Taguig will be taught how to properly manage their trash,” he said.
Meanwhile, the national environmental alliance No Burn Pilipinas on Saturday denounced moves by senators Sherwin Gatchalian and Francis Tolentino to push for a Waste-to-Energy bill that it claims will worsen the country’s plastic and air pollution problems.
If approved, the proposal will weaken the Clean Air Act as it seeks to legalize and incentivize the construction of polluting thermal waste-to-energy plants, whose toxic ash and air emissions present significant threats to public health and the environment, NBP said in a statement.
Once constructed, the plants would require an uninterrupted supply of combustible waste feed stock – especially non-recyclable, throw-away plastics, and single-use packaging, the group said.