National ban on single use plastics doable and necessary- Greenpeace

A national ban on disposable plastic products is not only very necessary but also doable and practical, Greenpeace Philippines stated today in reaction to statements made by Senator Cynthia Villar on Tuesday.

“It’s not impossible to ban single-use plastics. There are already existing local bans on disposable plastic packaging and products in urban centers such as Quezon City, as well as in provinces such as Siquijor. These plastic bans can be successfully implemented as long as there is strong political will to do so,” Greenpeace Campaigner Virginia Benosa-Llorin said.

Alternatives to single-use plastics already exist and the proposed ban should prompt the government to support and promote the development of packaging and delivery systems that don’t rely on disposables. Currently, Filipino taxpayers shoulder the cleanup, health and environmental costs of plastics. Rather than giving companies more excuses to pass the costs and responsibility to people, the ban should be used to mandate these companies to implement refill and reuse systems for their products.

“The best way to solve the plastic problem is to stop producing plastic in the first place. Recycling, upcycling, downcycling, and drastic approaches such as waste incineration do not address the root of the problem, and will only encourage the continued manufacture of single-use plastic which end up as pollution and puts people’s health and well-being at risk.”