TO LESSEN plastic waste, the Naga City Government in Cebu will fully implement the ordinance banning single-use plastic starting on Jan. 1, 2021.
Ordinance 2020-11, or the Integrated Solid Waste Management Ordinance of the City of Naga, Cebu, was passed in January this year.
For this year, implementation of the “Green Days” or “No Plastic Days” was gradual.
Section 30 of the ordinance states the “No Plastic Days” from January 2020 to June 2020 were Wednesdays and Saturdays.
From July 1 to Dec. 31, 2020, the “No Plastic Days” are Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
From Jan. 1, 2021, no one will be allowed to use single-use plastic every day.
Before the ordinance was implemented, the City had informed commercial establishments, residential areas, barangays, small stores and other businesses that use plastic for the smooth implementation of the ordinance.
To make sure the ordinance is implemented, the City Environment and Natural Resources Office, through its representative the Business Permit and Licensing Office-Joint Inspectorate Team “shall be responsible for monitoring the compliance by the establishments of the provisions in this section as well as the submission of regulatory compliance reports to the CSWMB (City Solid Waste Management Board) and to the chairperson of the committee on environment every fifth working day of the month.”
The ordinance was passed to implement a waste disposal system and waste segregation in the city.
The highest penalty for a fourth-time violator is set at P5,000, or imprisonment of six months.
The penalty for first-time violators is a P500 fine or eight hours of community service; second-time violator, P1,000 or 16 hours of community service; and the third-time violator, P2,500 or 40 hours of community service. / ANV / KAL