More than 57,000 individuals call on Congress to ban single-use plastics

A total of 57, 954 individuals signed a petition urging the 18th Congress of the Philippines to immediately regulate and ban problematic single-use plastic packaging and products in the country.

“The petition mirrors that our citizens already clamor for the passage of comprehensive law banning single-use plastics. The Senate should already act to pass a comprehensive bill that will mandate clear timelines on the phase out of production, distribution and sale of problematic plastic products, while providing incentives to eco-friendly alternatives and systems,” said Coleen Salamat, Plastic Solutions Campaigner of EcoWaste Coalition.

Various green groups such as Break Free From Plastic, EcoWaste Coalition, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, Greenpeace Philippines, Health Care Without Harm Asia, Mother Earth Foundation, Oceana Philippines International, Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability, Philippine Movement for Climate Justice, Project Mariknows, War on Waste Negros Oriental, Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines, Sea and Terrestrial Environment Protectors, Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) Cebu, SANLAKAS Cebu, Kabataan Partylist, Panalipdan Youth Davao, Philippine Earth Justice Center, and 350.org Pilipinas submitted the petition letter to the Senate.

“We need a law that is serious about tackling plastic pollution here in the country and needs to address it from the very first stage where problems manifest and that’s at extraction and production. Plastic creates problems for our climate, our environment and health throughout its different stages. A genuine solution to the plastic crisis should start upstream,” said  Marian Ledesma, Zero Waste Campaigner of Greenpeace.

The groups are calling for the Senate for immediate timeline for the phasing out of single-use plastic products,  the new law should be consistent with the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act (Republic Act No. 9003) and the Clean Air Act (Republic Act No. 8749), focus on sustainable systems and reusability of products, and mandate producers to cut-back on use of single-use plastic.