Single use plastic update for The Phillipines

MANILA, Philippines — The use of plastic soft drink straws and coffee stirrers may be banned soon in the Philippines but civil society and academic groups said this is not enough to address the “plastic pandemic” in the country.

In a statement released on International Straw Free Day, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said plastic soft drink straws and coffee stirrers are now included in the list of non-environmentally acceptable products (NEAP).

This means these plastic products may be prohibited soon through the implementation of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

“The prohibition of these two single-use plastic items may be small steps in the NEAP listing, but it is a big leap when it comes to compliance with the provisions of RA 9003,” said Benny Antiporda, DENR undersecretary for solid waste management and local government units.

Antiporda said inclusion of these plastic items was “long overdue.”

They strongly recommended the inclusion of the following items in the list of NEAP:

  • plastic labo bags
  • plastic bags including oxo-degradable plastics
  • plastic cutleries - spoon, fork and knives
  • plastic straws
  • plastic stirrers
  • plastic bottles
  • plastic cups and plates
  • thin plastic take-out containers
  • styrofoam or polystyrene food containers
  • sachet, packaging, or products that are multilayered with other materials