DENR to seek assistance from LGUs to address plastic waste issues

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has sought the assistance of local government units to address the issue on the continued increase in volume of plastic garbage.

The DENR also reported that there are only a few companies that comply with the law that requires them to recover plastics before this is mixed with trash.

In the report of Cedric Castillo on "Saksi," with 300,000 tons of plastic waste generated each year the country is one of the biggest contributors of plastic waste that reach the oceans.

According to the DENR and a study, each Filipino uses up to 20 kilos of plastic each year. But this habit is not easy to change.

DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga said single use plastics are used in the wet market.

"There is a social dimension to the use of single-use plastics that we need to keep in mind whenever we are saying that we, in fact, want to ban that," said Yulo-Loyzaga.

Last year, the Extended Producer Responsibility Act took was enacted that is aimed at curtailing plastic waste at the level of producers and manufacturers.

According to the law, by year 2028, companies should be able to recover about 80% of plastics it generates.

However, compliance to the law is very low.

DENR Usec. Jonas Leones said only 672 companies out of 4,000 are compliant.

"So, we need the assistance of the local government," he added.

The companies will face penalties if they fail to meet the target, said DENR Usec. Annaliza Rebuelta-Teh.

There will be changes in the packaging of some products in the near future.

But to effectively reduce plastic waste, everyone should do their part. -- BAP, GMA Integrated News