STARTING January 1, 2019, the City Government will implement the City-Wide Plastic Bag Regulation as a strategy to reduce waste and prevent flooding.
City Local Environment and Natural Resources (Clenro) chief Engineer Armen Cuenca explained that the plastic regulation will only be fully implemented next year as they will spend the next 5 months spreading awareness of the new policy to the constituents.
"It's also unfair to our constituents if we implement it immediately, it will take time, and we hope that on January 1, all will be aware of our plastic regulation," he said.
The plastic regulation shall apply in all commercial establishments, such as malls, fast foods, pharmacies, markets, food kiosks, and even sari-sari stores.
This means that establishments will not be allowed to provide their customers plastic bags as packaging materials, particularly for dry goods and cooked food.
Solid Waste Management division head Elvisa Mabelin however said the new policy has exemptions, this is why it is called "plastic bag regulation" and not "plastic ban."
She said the use of plastics is still allowed particularly for wet goods, especially in packing meat and fruits, to ensure food safety.
"But when you reach the counter, we expect the cashier not to hand another plastic bag to wrap the customer's goods," she said.
Mabelin said the new policy shall encourage the "Bring Your Own Bag" policy, from going shopping at the mall, to buying food in your favorite carenderia.
If stores still issue plastic bags to its customers, the City Government shall penalize store owners with a penalty worth P3,000 for every plastic bag issued.
With the new policy, Mabelin said that the average 1,000 tons of garbage generated in the city per day will be reduced by about 50 percent.
Also, to ensure that the plastic bag regulation is observed in every establishments, Cuenca said they are planning to deputize barangay tanods as well as civic organizations advocating for the same cause, and help them enforce the law.
For every violation recorded, the deputized person shall have 15 percent share of the total amount generated from penalties.