The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) believes the enactment of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act of 2022 mandating companies to establish EPR programs for their plastic packaging would significantly reduce the amount of plastic wastes dumped on creeks, rivers and oceans.
The EPR act which lapsed into law on July 30 also amended the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.
William Cuñado, director of the EMB, said the law is a “practical approach to efficient waste management, focusing on waste reduction, recovery and recycling and the development of environment-friendly products that advocate the internationally accepted principles on sustainable consumption and production, circular economy and producers’ full responsibility throughout the life cycle of products.”
Through EPR, obliged enterprises or through their Producer Responsibility Organizations, will have to recover or offset their generated plastic product footprint by 20 percent in 2023 and to 80 percent by 2028.
Among the plastic packaging covered by the EPR Law include single or multi-layered plastics such as sachets, rigid plastic packaging products like food and drink containers, single-use plastic bags and polystyrene.
Penalties for the non-compliance of EPR duties range from P5 million to P20 million, or “twice the cost of recovery and diversion of the footprint or its shortfall, whichever is higher.”
The law also reconstituted the composition of the National Solid Waste Management Commission and enhanced the functions and duties of the National Ecology Center, apart from expanding and simplifying fiscal incentive schemes to encourage stakeholder involvement both for solid waste management and EPR activities.
Earlier, the EMB also expressed support for a proposal to tax the consumption of single-use plastics as a proactive measure to curb plastic pollution in the country, as suggested by Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno.
“Imposing tax on single-use plastics is a positive development for the environment in several ways. It can promote use of reusable packaging, reduce single-use plastic wastes, and extend the life of sanitary landfills,” Cuñado said.
He said the DENR has been pushing for a similar tax measure to combat plastic pollution since the previous administration as it is also expected to prompt behavioral change among stakeholders towards proper waste management.
However, Cuñado acknowledged “imposing an additional expense on stakeholders need to be reasonable and beneficial.”
“As long as there is an abundant supply of disposable plastics produced, consumers will always use these out of convenience. But, if these will be taxed, it may serve as motivation for the public to opt for reusable or recyclable products, which can result in a waste-free behavior for the betterment of the environment,” Cuñado said.
Since the National Solid Waste Management Commission approved in February 2021 the inclusion of plastic soft drink straw and plastic coffee stirrer in the list of non-environmentally acceptable products, the EMB has been holding public consultations on the phaseout schedule of these single-use plastics.
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