CENRO Information Education Unit Representative Orly Limpangog, in a report from the City Information Office said City Ordinance No. 0500-21 series of 2021 or the “No to Single-Use Plastics Ordinance of 2021” Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) will be imposed in the city third quarter of 2022.
Limpangog said the ordinance is not only aimed at managing the city’s solid waste but also to lessen the amount of garbage that ends up in Davao City’s waters and coastal areas.
Limpangog cited the recent clean-up operations conducted by their office where single-use plastics were among the majority of waste items collected from the city’s coasts.
“When our IRR is approved, maybe in two or three months since the city council has already started its sessions, then we will start apprehending violators in order to mitigate the presence of single-use plastics in our coastal areas,” Limpangog said.
The ordinance not only regulates single-use plastics in business establishments but also their individual use.
Under the ordinance, establishments that wish to retail single-use plastic products will have to pay P10,000 for a “special permit to sell” while those who wish to distribute or use these in large amounts such as during events or special occasions will have to pay P5 for each single-use plastic to obtain a “special permit to distribute”.
Establishments that have failed to secure the special permit to sell or distribute single-use plastics will be fined and may even be foreclosed. Business owners that have recently renewed their business permits were told to display anti-single-use plastics campaign posters in their establishments.
It is also stated in the ordinance that establishments that have relied on plastic, cutleries, straws, cups, cup lids, plates, egg trays, hand gloves and other single-use plastics are advised to transition into using items made of biodegradable or reusable materials before the IRR of the ordinance is fully set in place. Limpangog said that businesses such as fast-food chains have already started to make the transition.
The big fast-food chains like McDonald’s and Jollibee are now using wooden utensils,” Limpangog added.
The administrative penalty for first-time violators of the ordinance is set at P1,000, or they may render an 8-hour environmental service; the second offense entails a P3,000 fine or a 16-hour environmental service; meanwhile, the maximum penalty is set at P5,000.
Limpangog, meanwhile, urged Davaoeños including business owners in the food industry to start the shift from single-use plastic items, such as plastic cutleries and cups, to their recyclable or biodegradable counterparts.
Photo from IDIS