Senator Loren Legarda has filed a bill to phase out single-use plastics and to share the responsibility with business owners in reducing plastic pollution.
Legarda said there is a need for behavior and mindset correction on single-use plastics through the adoption of more sustainable practices “to mitigate their detrimental effects,” as well as in “governance and market systems and operations.”
“We also need to continue demanding more effective policies and solutions especially from companies to manage plastic waste and incentivize consumers to help address plastic pollution,” she said.
“We need to sustain this growing movement on sustainability and circularity by improving our policies, implementing more adequate interventions from the public and private sectors, and opening more spaces where citizens can support and take lead in addressing single-use plastics,” she added.
As the government seeks more funding sources to support its services and programs, among the Department of Finance’s (DOF) suggestions is to impose taxes on such products.
“We are thinking of a possible tax on single-use plastic as this is part of our commitment to climate change. And as a response to recent developments, on the basis of fairness, we intend to tax online purchases,” DOF Secretary Benjamin Diokno said.
Senate Finance Committee Chairperson Sonny Angara said taxing plastic, which is being done by other countries, will further push for the use of recyclable materials, while Senator Grace Poe said imposing taxes “can discourage its use” which would prompt entities to opt for “ locally available materials for packaging.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has a plan to make Philippine waters free from waste by 2040 through the national plan of action for the reduction of marine litter which seeks to eliminate plastic waste in waters. – Report from Eunice Samonte-ag
