Makati presses plastic ban compliance

PLASTIC Total fines paid by some 70 errant establishments to the city amounted to P350,000.

Makati Mayor Abby Binay today called on food and retail businesses in the city to comply with the citywide plastic ban and to use environment-friendly packaging and dining utensils.

The mayor cited a report of the Department of Environmental Services (DES) on violations of the city’s Solid Waste Management Code.

“Plastic pollution has become a major environmental concern, especially for our country which has been identified as one of the world’s top sources of plastic waste dumped into the sea,” she said.

“We must all make a deliberate, concerted effort to reduce the volume of non-biodegradable garbage we generate daily,” she added.

The Makati Plastic Monitoring Task Force (PMTF) has inspected 2,269 retail establishments and food outlets in the first six months of the year.

Of these, 114 or around five percent were found to be non-compliant with the code, particularly its provisions mandating the use of environment-friendly materials.

Mayor Abby pointed out that establishments can have a “strong positive influence” in effecting lifestyle changes among consumers that will lessen dependence on disposable plastic in favor of more environment-friendly alternatives.

“If all food and retail establishments in Makati are fully compliant with the plastic ban, tens of thousands of consumers would soon adapt to the shift towards non-plastic or biodegradable materials and even assimilate it into their day-to-day living,” Mayor Abby said.

According to the latest data from the city Business Permits Office, there are 4,551 registered businesses in the city covered by the plastic ban.

These include 1,684 restaurants, 290 canteens, 452 carinderias, 117 bakeries and 761 fastfood outlets.

In the retail sector, there are 227 convenience stores, 968 sari-sari stores, 22 supermarkets, one public market, seven private markets, and 22 shopping malls.

From January to June, PMTF teams inspected 544 establishments in District 1, of which 85 were non-compliant. In District 2, some 29 out of 1,696 establishments inspected were found in violation of the code.

From January to December last year, PMTF teams inspected 4,289 establishments throughout the city. Of these, 563 were found to have violated the ordinance.

Enacted in 2003 through City Ordinance No. 2003-095, the code requires the use of environment-friendly materials in food chains, restaurants, supermarkets, eateries and other similar establishments within the city.

Based on the ordinance, individual violators face a fine of P1,000 or imprisonment ranging from five to 30 days, or both at the discretion of the court. Errant establishments will be fined P5,000, and their owners may also be jailed for a month up to a year.

To date, total fines paid by some 70 errant establishments to the city amounted to P350,000.