REACTION OF PLASTIC MANUFACTURERS ON PLASTIC BAN ISSUE

          The National Ecology Center which was mandated by law to be created under the Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (RA 9003), is supposed to guide the government on steps needed to enforce waste segregation, recovery and recycling.

          However, the center that is supposed to play key role in solid waste segregation and management and in the development of a recycling market has yet to be organized 12 years after its existence was legislated.

          “In so many ways, this center will provide the scientific support for measures to keep cities and municipalities clean and environmentally friendly in terms of waste management,” said Peter Quintana, president of the Philippine Plastics Industry Association, Inc.

          Quintana added that the plastic ban has no scientific backing and creates new problems and inconveniences. This is the reason why highly urbanized cities abroad which tried it before, have backtracked and resorted to regulating instead of totally banning the use of plastic bags.

          “We hope this center is organized soonest because the plastic ban is taking its toll on the industry and on the public which has lost access to an all-weather, all-purpose material that is food safe and very convenient,” Quintana said.

          The plastic man said also that the ban has environmental costs since to produce one 183-gram cotton bag requires the use of 320 gallons of water. Likewise, to make one paper bag requires one gallon of clean water, which is what it takes to make 116 plastic bags. He added that the plastic ban is founded on nothing more than the misimpression that plastic bags clogged the drainage systems which cause floods.

          “This is not science at work. Plastic is only a small part of the total debris. The real reason is our refusal to properly dispose of our waste, be it plastic, paper, rubber, wood and many others. This is where the National Ecology Center is needed,” said Quintana, the plastic man.

          The proposed center is also mandated to develop a national recycling network which is very important because, it will generate businesses devoted to keeping the country clean while at the same time creating jobs and small business opportunities nationwide. Quintana concluded that the center is strategically important in addressing the plastic issue and the bigger waste management problem. # ART