Philippines may soon prohibit use of plastic straws, stirrers; groups seek wider ban
MANILA, Philippines — The use of plastic soft drink straws and coffee stirrers may be banned soon in the Philippines but civil society and academic groups said this is not enough to address the “plastic pandemic” in the country.
In a statement released on International Straw Free Day, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said plastic soft drink straws and coffee stirrers are now included in the list of non-environmentally acceptable products (NEAP).
This means these plastic products may be prohibited soon through the implementation of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
“The prohibition of these two single-use plastic items may be small steps in the NEAP listing, but it is a big leap when it comes to compliance with the provisions of RA 9003,” said Benny Antiporda, DENR undersecretary for solid waste management and local government units.
Antiporda said inclusion of these plastic items was “long overdue.”
Under RA 9003, the National Solid Waste Management Commission “shall, after public notice and hearing, prepare a list of non-environmentally acceptable products as defined in this Act that shall be prohibited according to a schedule that shall be prepared by the commission” within one year from the effectivity of the law.
The law was passed in 2000 but it was only after two decades that the NSWMC came up with a list of NEAP.
The NSWMC approved the inclusion of these plastic items during a virtual en banc meeting Tuesday. Eleven voted for the approval of the resolution, while three voted against it. DENR said there was “heavy resistance” from the Department of Trade and Industry, and the manufacturing and recycling industries.
‘Welcome but not sufficient’
For environmental and academic organizations, the move is not enough to solve the country's plastic pollution problem.
“While this is a much welcome development, considering that this mandate has been sitting for two decades, banning straws and stirrers alone is not enough,” environmental lawyer Gloria Estenzo Ramos said.
“Our time is running out, we need to stop the plastic pollution at source. Our oceans are wallowing in plastics. We cannot and should not wait for another 20 years to ban single-use plastics nationwide,” Ramos, who is also the vice president of Oceana, added.
In a position paper, groups said single-use plastic items are harmful to marine organisms and ecosystems and even humans and aggravate climate impacts.
They strongly recommended the inclusion of the following items in the list of NEAP:
- plastic labo bags
- plastic bags including oxo-degradable plastics
- plastic cutleries - spoon, fork and knives
- plastic straws
- plastic stirrers
- plastic bottles
- plastic cups and plates
- thin plastic take-out containers
- styrofoam or polystyrene food containers
- sachet, packaging, or products that are multilayered with other materials
A survey commissioned by the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives last year found that seven out of 10 Filipinos want single-use plastics banned at all times.
In 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte floated the idea of banning the use of plastics. Prohibiting or regulating the use of plastics, however, would require legislative action.
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