Quezon City government announced over the weekend that it has partnered with Greenpeace Philippines to tackle the urgent plastic pollution crisis and enhance existing city ordinances regulating the use of single-use plastics.

Co-developed with community stakeholders and the city government, "Kuha sa Tingi" seeks to provide accessible and affordable alternatives to sachets and plastic-packaged goods. The project aims to empower communities to access goods without contributing to plastic pollution by promoting reuse and refill systems.

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte believes this is a critical initiative, stating, "Kuha sa Tingi" is a testament that being sustainable and eco-friendly can be affordable and inclusive, especially for those who belong to the marginalized sector.

"With this initiative, we were able to lessen the usage of products in sachets, and at the same time prevent these from ending up in our waterways when not properly disposed of," she said.

The program started last 10 July with 30 participating pilot stores. Throughout the 8-week program, sari-sari stores were able to gain a total of P143,286 in sales, an average of 4,776 per store, and consumers were able to save P143 per week. They were able to divert 47,601 sachets or a total of 1,428,030 mL of plastics in volume.

Given the magnitude of this issue and the surge in plastic production in recent years, Greenpeace believes it is imperative to implement effective and impactful solutions to reduce production and dependence on single-use plastic.