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Duterte eyes ban on plastic use


President Rodrigo Duterte is eyeing a ban on the use of plastics, Malacañang said Thursday.

Palace spokesperson Salvador Panelo said during the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, the President “floated the idea to ban the use of plastics, which according to him would require legislative action.”

Panelo said Duterte made the statement during the presentation of priority programs for environment and climate change resiliency by Vernice Victorio, president and CEO of state-run Natural Resources Development Corp.

Bills seeking a ban on single-use plastics are currently pending in Congress.

Authored by Senator Francis Pangilinan, Senate Bill 40 proposes to ban the use of all single-use plastics one year after the measure becomes effective, and would penalize those who would not enforce it.

But those who would re-use and recycle would receive incentives.

The bill defines single-use plastics as those disposable plastics which are commonly used for packaging, and includes items intended to be used only once before they are thrown away or recycled.

Among these plastics were grocery bags, food packaging, films and bags, manufacturing water bottles, straws, stirrers, containers, styrofoam/styros, cups, sachets, and plastic cutlery.

Senator Cynthia Villar's Senate Bill 333 seeks to regulate the manufacturing, importation, and use of single-use plastic products.

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. — Virgil Lopez/RSJ, GMA News

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