Fast-food stores, restaurants required to secure ECC

MANILA, Philippines - Fast-food restaurants and similar establishments will now need to secure an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) before they can operate. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said these establishments will have to secure the ECCs from its Environmental Management Bureau (EMB). “We have seen the continuing growth of the fast-food industry, particularly in the cities. The volume of wastewater generated by the fast-food stores, restaurants and other similar food establishments has been increasing, which when left untreated, poses hazards to our environment, especially to our water bodies," Environment Secretary Jose Atienza Jr. said on the DENR Web site (www.denr.gov.ph). “This, we could no longer ignore especially now that the Department is dead set on rehabilitating our rivers and lakes." He said the fast-food industry is included in the coverage of the Philippine Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) System, which arose from the concern for water pollution generated by this industry. Atienza also directed all food establishments regardless of the volume of wastewater generated relative to their operations to also secure a discharge permit from the EMB. The requirement for a discharge permit is in keeping with Section 27 of Republic Act No. 9275 or the Philippine Clean Water Act which prohibits the discharge of regulated water pollutants without proper treatment. Both directives are contained in EMB Memorandum Circular No. 002, series of 2009 issued by EMB Director Julian Amador. They also provide that food establishments whose project areas are equal to or greater than 2.5 hectares are required to submit an environmental impact statement (EIS), while those with smaller project areas (less than 2.5 hectares) are to submit a checklist for initial environmental examination (IEE). An EIS is a document prepared by a project proponent which studies the significant impacts of a project on the environment. Included in the EIS is an environmental management plan that the proponent will implement to protect the environment. The IEE, on the other hand, is a more simplified version of the EIS, with reduced details and depth of assessment and discussion. Applications for ECC by the establishments shall be submitted to the corresponding regional office of the EMB or to the EMB central office, if the project is within the jurisdictional area of the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA). - GMANews.TV