HEAVY floods in most cities are being blamed on plastics clogging the drainage systems, driving citizens to push for a stop to the use of single-use plastics.
While many have begun to support the movement, plastic suppliers are finding themselves in a quandary.
Ramil Palomas, a seller of plastic, said that sales went down since an ordinance was passed to ban the use of plastics on some days in Cebu City. He said they do not know what they are going to do if single-use plastics will be banned every day, since they are new store owners.
“Niubos ang among sales. We’ve felt the effects and received complaints because we do not sell plastics on Wednesday and Saturday,” said Palomas.
However, Leonisa Yu said that due to this ordinance, she did not stock more plastics for she knows that this could also affect her sales.
Another seller of plastics, Nelson Palomas, said he does not worry about this ordinance because his children have graduated from college and have stable jobs.
“I-ban ang plastic. I already told my children that di na ko maninda, magpabuhi na ko nila. They are old enough, wala na sila diri, they have all graduated,” he said.
Mandaue City, for its part, bans the use of plastic bags in all establishments every day. Only paper bags or eco-bags may be used.
Stanley Go, Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) president, said that even though Mandaue bans the use of plastic bags, it doesn’t mean that the city has already solved flooding.
“You have to have regular garbage collection. Important lang is to find that balance, if government and business can do a dialogue, that is win-win solution,” Go said.
Rich Cordovez, who is from Mandaue City, said, “There are times that you cannot escape from using plastics just like in restaurants, especially in taking out soup.”
In July this year, the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation-Integrated Development Office Inc. submitted a position paper stating that it is not enough to just pass ordinances prohibiting the use of plastic bags.
The group said it is also important to deputize law enforcers to reprimand and penalize people throwing plastic materials anywhere they like. (CLARENZ JAY MENDOZA, USJ-R INTERN)