DAGUPAN CITY—The city government expects to have a plastic and styrofoam –free city with the passage of the Plastic and Styrofoam Regulation Ordinance of the City which is due for third and final reading when the city council resumes session on Jan. 16.

Councilor Nicanor Aquino, chairman of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources and author of the proposed ordinance, told this writer that there is a very big chance the measure will be approved as there are only small things that need to be ironed out for its final approval. This includes a question by another councilor about the composition of a task force to be created to monitor compliance to the ordinance.

Aquino said prior to the passage of the ordinance, he conducted two public hearings with invitations sent to about 200 establishment owners in the city.

However, although the letters were received by the concerned businessmen, only 20 showed up during the hearings.

“It’s no longer our fault (in case they question the ordinance later),” Aquino said.

He added if they achieve a five to 10 percent compliance in the initial implementation of the ordinance in 31 barangays, “that’s already good enough”.

“It’s not a total ban but only a regulation until the people become aware and cooperative with our vision to minimize their use of plastics and styrofoam and to learn to reuse them to decrease their garbage volume,” Aquino added.

He said he was encouraged to sponsor the ordinance based on his meetings with the barangay officials while conducting information dissemination about Republic Act No. 9003, otherwise known as the “Ecological Waste Management Act of 2000” which encourages the regulation of certain products and materials
that are considered non-environmentally acceptable.

The barangay leaders told Aquino their problem is mostly on the volume of plastic and styrofoam collected in their areas.

Plastic and styrofoam are considered non-biodegradable such that their chemical composition compounds the problem of their disposal in any dumpsite.

Plastic and styrofoam aggravate the increasing volume of waste collected from business establishments, institutions, factories, offices, and households, Aquino said.

He added that plastic bags and styrofoam when used as packaging material for food pose a health hazard if not properly handled.

The ordinance shall apply to all residential houses, commercial establishments such as shopping malls, department stores, markets, restaurants and other eateries, cinema houses, grocery stores, sari-sari stores, hospitals and
clinics, schools, churches, public and private offices, plants, factories, various repair shops, warehouses, food processing plants, and other similar institutions and establishments.

All establishments directly selling plastic and styrofoam packaging materials and eating utensils shall, within a period of six months from the enactment of this ordinance, reduce by at least 50 percent the volume of such packaging materials and eating utensils being sold by them and provide alternative
products made of biodegradable component. Within a period of one year from the enactment of this ordinance, all such establishments shall reduce the volume of these products being sold by them by at least 75 percent.

The selling of plastic and styrofoam products, whether as packaging materials or kitchen utensils, shall be banned in areas of large business establishments, such as the grocery section, dry goods section, drug store section, hardware section, glassware section, and other similar sections, except in the case of products or items in which the use of plastic and styrofoam is incorporated in the overall design of such products or items, the ordinance said.

It added that wet market section of such establishments shall be allowed to use plastic and styrofoam packaging materials, provided that buyers shall be encouraged by the management of each establishment to use recycled plastic and styrofoam packaging materials through such incentives as discounts or rebates.

Appropriate signages shall be installed in conspicuous and strategic places in such wet market section informing buyers that a discount of a certain percentage shall be given to those who bring their own plastic and styrofoam packaging materials

Small and medium business establishments are hereby banned from selling or using plastic or styrofoam packaging materials or kitchen utensils, except in the case of products or items in which the use of plastic and styrofoam is incorporated in the overall design of such products or items, the ordinance added.

Also, all institutions such as government offices, schools, hospitals and clinics, churches, and other similar entities, including private offices, are hereby banned from using plastic and styrofoam packaging materials and utensils except as recycled and/or for purposes of containing and disposing of medical, toxic, infectious and hazardous wastes and research.

Within six months from the enactment of this ordinance, all food dispensing establishments, hotels, restaurants, catering services, and other similar establishments shall reduce the use of plastic and styrofoam packaging materials by at least 75percent. Where the use of plastic and styrofoam kitchen utensils by caterers cannot be avoided, such caterers shall exert efforts and means to impart to their customers the imperative need to recycle
such utensils.

Compliance with this provision shall be monitored by the Waste Management Division (WMD) of the City Mayor’s Office on a monthly basis through the submission by the pertinent establishments of purchase vouchers or any such
similar proofs of purchase of plastic and styrofoam packaging materials to the WMD also on a monthly basis. For this purpose, the WMD is hereby vested with visitation powers for a more effective monitoring of the compliance with this provision by the pertinent establishments.

To compel buyers to recycle and bring their plastic bags or styrofoam packages when they shop at or patronize any business establishment, the latter should charge the cost of each such bag or package to the buyer, Aquino said.

A fine ranging from P1,000 but not more than P5,000 and an imprisonment from five days to 15 days at the discretion of the court shall be meted to violators.

If the offender is a corporation or juridical entity, the president, general manager, chief executive officer, or the highest managing officer shall suffer the penalty of imprisonment, without prejudice to the imposition of the fine on such corporation or juridical entity, at the discretion of the court, the ordinance added.