SOME business owners and citizens expressed willingness to adjust if the proposed ban on single-use plastics (SUP) will push through.
Michael Modesto, owner of a balloon merchandise business, said the ordinance on SUP will affect their business but they will ask their customers to tie their balloons with threads instead of attaching it to plastic sticks.
“Wala man na’y problema sa amo kay sa tanan man na mahitabo basta fair lang pud sa tanan (We do not have a problem with the SUP ordinance as long as it’s implemented fairly to all businesses),” he added.
Lovely, employee of a milk tea shop, said she is amenable to the changes as it would help reduce waste in the city but it will also affect the prices of their products.
“Agree ko ana kay para pud na sa atong nature. Kanang mabawasan pud ang plastic nga basura (I agree with the ordinance as it is for the good of the environment because it will reduce our plastic waste),” she said.
“Pwede pud mag-gamit og mga edible straws. Sa cups, kanang mga glass. Mag-increase gyud ang mga price ana tungod sa mga material (We can use edible straws. We can also use glass but our products will become costly because of the materials),” she added.
Meanwhile, Belinda Villanueva, a secretary in Barangay Dumoy, said they will ask their sponsors to use buntings made of paper as an alternative decoration for activities like fiesta.
“Pwede man siguro alternative ana papel. One day use lang man na (We can use paper as an alternative since it will only be used once),” Villanueva said.
She said they will continue to use buntings made out of biodegradable materials since it is already a part of the Filipino culture to put one during fiestas.
“Kung papel among gamiton, itaod na siya a day before [the fiesta], kana gong bisperas (If we use paper, it should be installed a day before the fiesta),” she added.
On Monday, February 17, environmental group Interface Development Interventions for Sustainability (Idis) executive director Chinkie Peliño-Golle bared a proposed ordinance that seeks to ban SUPs in the city.
In the proposed ordinance, SUPs refer to plastic drinking cups (recyclable or non-recyclable); plastic condiments (sauce or gravy container); plastic cup lids or covers; plastic stirrers; plastic straw; plastic cutleries such as spoon, fork, knife or a combination thereof; plastic meal packaging; plastic hand gloves; plastic materials used as buntings; and plastic materials used as balloon stick whether recyclable or non-recyclable. (Zenler Digal, UM intern/With reports from Juliet Revita)