The Climate Change Commission lauded the approval on second reading of House Bill No. 9147, or the Single-Use Plastics Products Regulation Act, sponsored by Rep. Jose Francisco “Kiko” Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District), chairman of the House Committee on Ecology-Technical Working Group.
The proposal aims to effectively address the country’s high rate of plastic waste leakage and plastics’ impacts on the environment, public health, and climate change through a nationwide phase-out of single-use plastics and implementation of producers’ responsibility schemes.
“We believe that this measure can finally put an end to our addiction to single-use plastics and will accelerate the ongoing research and development of more sustainable products and technologies, while creating green jobs,” Climate Change Commissioner Rachel Herrera said in a statement when the bill was approved on second reading on June 2.
The CCC said that the approval is a step closer towards a plastic-free Philippines, even as the World Environment Day will be celebrated across the world on June 5, on the theme “Ecosystem Restoration”.
“The bill allows us to eliminate unnecessary single-use plastic items and pushes consumers and producers alike to innovate and shift mindset so plastics and other materials we do need are designed to be safely reused, recycled, or composted,” the CCC added.
HB 9147 seeks to phase-out drinking plastic straws; plastic stirrers; sticks for candy, balloons, and cotton bud; buntings; confetti; and packaging or bags with thickness of less than 10 microns, within one year.
As a second category, plastic plates and saucers; cups, bowls, and lids; cutlery; food and beverage containers; oxo-degradable plastics; film wrap of 50 microns thickness or less; and sachets and pouches, are to be phased out within four years, the bill added.
Producers and importers of single-use plastics shall also phase in extended producer responsibility programs within two years, including the recovery, transportation, and clean-up schemes for plastic wastes, and the establishment of recycling, composting, and other waste diversion or disposal facilities.
Fines and penalties, ranging from P50,000 to P1,000,000, and revocation of permits, are also included in the proposal.
In January 2021, the CCC together with member agencies of the Cabinet Cluster for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation and Disaster Risk Reduction moved to approve Resolution No. 1 “Adopting the Principles of Sustainable Consumption and Production, Towards Regulation and Phaseout of Single-Use Plastics and a Responsible Transition to the Use of Environment-Friendly Products”.
The CCC is committed to take a proactive role in promoting concrete actions to help achieve climate targets and reduce carbon footprint, through the adoption of “circular economy approaches and sustainable consumption and production practices.”– CGC
