CEBU, Philippines - Local plastic manufacturers in Mandaue City are now obliged to buy back all used plastic products that they have sold; and the poor who make a living out of collecting and selling used plastic will have a ready market this time.
The city council recently approved a proposed resolution requesting Mayor Jonas Cortes through the city’s Solid Waste Management office to make it obligatory for all plastic manufacturers or recyclers to buy back all used plastic products equivalent to the volume they have sold, which they themselves may recycle.
Councilor Demetrio Cortes Jr., who proposed the resolution, said it is wrong to say squatters living along riverbanks are the main cause of flooding.
He said the real culprit is plastic waste.
Cortes said only a few government officials enforce the law that obliges everybody to segregate biodegradable from non-biodegradable waste.
In some cities and provinces, garbage, comprised mostly of plastic, is sent to landfills.
But since landfills are hard to find nowadays, land being reserved for housing projects and agricultural production, uncollected garbage mostly find its way into waterways.
And now local plastic manufacturers or recyclers are being compelled by law to buy back all the used plastic products equivalent to the volume they sell.
This will drastically reduce the volume of used plastic garbage that find its way into drainage systems, without cutting much into the manufacturers’ profits.
This will also make manufacturers more responsible corporate citizens, and people will still enjoy the convenience of using plastic, according to Cortes.
Reports have it that more than 100 million tons of plastic is being produced worldwide and it takes up to 1,000 years for it to decompose. (FREEMAN)