PCCI: Stricter waste management needed, not plastic bag ban

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) pushed for stricter waste management efforts in cities instead of a total ban on the use of plastic bags, claiming that the latter measure affects a large part of the plastic industry's workforce.

It said about 300 local manufacturers and processors of carrier bags, employing about 175,000 workers, would be affected by the ban.

"To date, 20 percent of the workforce have already been affected," the chamber said.

Instead, the PCCI said, there should be “a stricter implementation of existing laws on anti-littering, waste segregation and collection.”

The group added that there must be a concerted effort among all the sectors—government, business sector and non-government organizations—to establish a mechanism for the segregation, collection and recycling of plastic bags as a more sustainable solution to the problem of clogged drainways in the metropolis.

The PCCI said that the indiscriminate littering and dumping of waste, and not the plastic bags themselves, that has aggravated the metro's flooding problem.

Regulating plastic bag use

While several local government units have banned the use of plastic bags in groceries, wet markets and many establishments, Quezon City regulates the use of plastic bags instead of enforcing a total ban.

Vincent Vinarao, acting head of Quezon City's Plans and Programs for Environmental Protection and Waste Management, said Quezon City residents have the option to bring their own bags or buy plastic bags from establishments for a fee.

"Hindi kami nagba-ban. Pwede pa ding gumamit ng plastic bags pero magbabayad ng P2 plastic recovery system fee na mapupunta sa green fund," Vinarao told GMA News Online.

He noted that the city ordinance is aimed to "change the behavior of the people on their throw-away attitude."

Marikina City assistant city environment officer Oliver Villamena said that his city's government also only regulates the use of plastic bags.

"Nireregulate lang namin ang paggamit ng plastic bags. Pag sa dry goods, bawal gumamit ng plastic. 'Pag wet goods naman, pwedeng gumamit ng plastic pero bilang first packaging lang," Villamena said. — BM, GMA News