THE Bacolod City Council amended the ordinance regulating the sale, provision, and use of plastic bags as packing materials of all in the city.
It was approved on third and final reading last week.
The ordinance, authored by Councilor Em Ang, stated that City Ordinance No. 562 or an ordinance regulating the use, sale, and provision of plastic bags as packaging materials in Bacolod, was approved on October 5, 2011.
She said there is still widespread use of single plastic bags in the city.
She added they amended Section 3 of the ordinance which stated that business establishment dispensing single-use plastic bags including but not limited to fast food outlets, market vendors, shopping malls, food kiosks, sari-sari stores, hardwares, groceries, pharmacies, and the like shall only provide biodegradable plastic if necessary or upon the customer’s request provides that it shall be with charge at the expense of the latter.
It also added that plastic bags with no handles, holes or strings commonly used as primary packaging for wrapping unpacked fresh foods at supermarkets, wet and dry markets, restaurants, canteen and the like shall not be included under the scheme as the usage of such plastic bag is justified on the grounds of public hygiene.
Ang said they also amended Section 7 of the ordinance which stated that the biodegradable plastic bags shall comply with the Philippine National Standard promulgated by the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Science and Technology, and other government agencies concerned.
She said the technical working group was also established which composed by the city mayor as chairman with the co-chairman the vice-mayor, the vice-chair, the chairman of the City Council committee on environment and ecology, and the members include the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Public Services, Public Information Office, City Legal Office, Liga ng mga Barangays, among others. (MAP)