By PNA
Business establishments in Cebu City have expressed reservations on the proposed ordinance imposing a total ban in the use and sale of plastics in the city.
The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) said that the city should only regulate the use and sale of non-biodegradable materials.
“We are not in favor of the total prohibition and ban on the use of plastics, as the business community and the consumers should be accorded ample time for educating, organizing and mobilizing for an environmental resources management program,†said Robert Go of CCCI.
Instead of an outright ban on the use of plastics, including shopping bags, pouches and polystyrene foam (such as Styrofoam), Go is proposing that the City implement it in phases and using categories.
Direct sellers of plastics and non-biodegradable packaging materials, for example, can be asked to reduce the sale of such materials by at least 50 percent within two years of the ordinance’s approval, Go said.
They can also be required to provide alternative products such as recyclable and reusable bags, he said.
“The 50 percent reduction should be based on its annual gross receipts of the immediately preceding year following the effectivity of the ordinance,†he said.
Go also said City Hall should impose an “environmental fee†for every plastic bag or Styrofoam container used by consumers. The proposed fee ranges from P5 to P15.
Go said the City Treasurer’s Office should check that direct sellers comply with the ordinance, when these sellers try to renew business permits.
Go said all the establishments should be required to reduce the sale and use of plastics, except in the case of products where plastics are incorporated in the overall design.
He added that the use of plastic bags may be allowed as primary packaging materials for fresh meat and fish sections.
As for food dispensing establishments, catering services, hotels and restaurants, Go said they can be required to reduce the use of plastics by 50 percent within one year from the effectivity of the ordinance.
As an alternative, Go said they should provide containers made of eco-friendly materials or recyclable or reusable containers.
In public markets, Go said goods sold in the wet market section such as fruits, vegetables, tomatoes, onions and other similar goods should be packed only in biodegradable containers.
During the council’s regular session last week, Councilors Nida Cabrera and Edgar Labella said they will consider the suggestions made by the CCCI.
Cabrera has filed an ordinance regulating the use of plastics in the city, while Labella filed a separate ordinance banning the use of plastics in the city.
After the public hearing, both said they will come up with one ordinance that will address the plastic problem in the city.
The poor disposal of plastics was among the factors blamed for the flood that hit Metro Cebu last January, because these clogged the city’s waterways and canals. (PNA)
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