Council: Ban single-use plastic, styrofoam

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City Council has approved a resolution requesting the Sinulog Governing Board and the Sinulog Foundation, Inc. to prohibit the use of styrofoam and single-use plastics for food and beverage preparation at the Sinulog grandstand.

The resolution sponsored by Councilor Alvin Dizon also enjoined the Department of Public Services (DPS) and Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CCENRO) to set up sufficient trash bins and eco-stations at the Cebu City Sports Center and along the Sinulog routes.

These trash bins and eco-stations should be placed in strategic areas to ensure that they are visible and accessible to the public.

“We should be conscious of the waste we generate during Sinulog festivities given the harmful impacts of these on our environment especially clogging up our drainage during raining season resulting to heavy flooding in our city,” said Dizon.

Dizon also urged the DPS and CCENRO to put up visible signages which will serve as reminder to people to throw and dispose their waste properly. He asked CCENRO to send a notice to establishments along the Sinulog routes to set up their own eco-stations for proper waste management.

Dizon likewise appealed to Mayor Edgardo Labella to immediately issue an executive order to prohibit the use of single-use plastics in all activities sponsored, organized, and initiated by the city government.

As reported, the city government collected a total of 11 tons of garbage from the 50 eco-stations they deployed during last year’s Sinulog celebration.

Ironically, January is designated as Zero Waste Month under the Presidential Proclamation No. 760 dated May 5, 2014 pursuant to Republic Act (RA) 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

“The care for our environment and surroundings should be integrated in the festivities and people should be reminded of properly throwing their trash in our designated trash bins or eco-stations,” said Dizon.  FPL (FREEMAN)