Plastic bag ban benefits cited

Plastic bag ban benefits cited

By JONATHAN M. HICAP

July 10, 2011, 2:52pm

MANILA, Philippines -- Six months after the plastic bag and styrofoam ban was implemented in Muntinlupa, the city government said it has eased flooding in the city and reduced the volume of collected garbage.

It was also reported that store owners and consumers have become accustomed of doing their daily business without plastic bags.

Al Cosio, head of the Environmental Sanitation Center, said the plastic bag ban has greatly eased flooding in the city.

Mayor Aldrin San Pedro said that because of the plastic ban, the city was spared from flooding during the onslaught of typhoon “Falcon” last month.

Store owners said their expenses were reduced since they no longer buy plastic bags to put items bought by consumers.

Supermarkets in Muntinlupa now use alternative receptacles to place groceries. SM Supermarket, for instance, uses cardboard boxes to pack groceries. Consumers also have the option to buy the supermarket’s reusable green bags. Other groceries use paper bags made of old newspapers and magazines.

Residents now use the traditional “bayong” or native bag, or reusable bags when they go to public markets or grocery stores.

Environmental groups said that so far 11 towns and cities in the country have passed ordinances which banned the use of plastic bags. These are Muntinlupa in Metro Manila; Carmona, Cavite; Antipolo City, Rizal; Los Baños, Laguna; Sta. Barbara, Iloilo; Lucban, Quezon; Infanta, Quezon; Imus, Cavite; Biñan, Laguna; Batangas City; and Burgos, Pangasinan.

Environmental groups cited local government units for the ordinance and urged lawmakers to pass a national law that will prohibit the use of plastic bags and promote organic reusable bags.

They also want the implementation of a take-back mechanism where producers will be asked to recover plastic discards and a plan for support to LGUs in waste management initiatives.

“We know for a fact that our noble legislators in Congress, led by the tireless Committee on Ecology, are doing their best to complement what our LGUs have started. We want them to know that we will be behind them in firmly cutting down waste and phasing-out plastic bags,” said Roy Alvarez, president of EcoWaste Coalition, in a recent statement.

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