BAGUIO CITY –City Mayor Mauricio Domogan has called on the business establishment owners to voluntarily shift to the use of biodegradable plastics in their daily transactions to lessen non-biodegradable waste in the city.
Domogan said the use of biodegradable plastics will greatly help in the efforts of the local government unit (LGU) to reduce the volume of waste generated from the business sector and allow residents to maximize the use of the plastics for their daily use.
The biggest contributors to the volume of plastic waste in the city are the department and grocery stores, and supermarkets, the mayor added.
The Baguio City Council is in the process of ironing out amendments to the anti-plastic ordinance to incorporate the concerns on the use of biodegradable plastics in the city, increase the penalties for violators and provide the prescribed rules and regulations for the strict implementation of the measure that could help significantly reduce the volume of generated waste in the establishments and residences.
Domogan said business establishments should not wait for the passage of the revisions and while biodegradable plastic would cost the establishment owners thrice more than the ordinary plastics, business establishment owners could either pass on to their patrons or shoulder solely the said cost.
He explained that the use of biodegradable plastic should not only be the obligation of the businessmen as residents have an equal responsibility in the process of waste reduction program of the LGU and the national government in general.
Residents should shift to the use of traditional “buri” (woven dried palm tree leaves) bags, eco bags or biodegradable plastics when shopping, as their contribution to waste management efforts, he added.
Based on the results of the Waste Analysis and Characterization Survey (WACS), the city produces at least 402 tons of assorted garbage daily.
The LGU of Baguio City is hauling out more than 130 tons of residual waste to the Provincial Engineered Sanitary Landfill of Tarlac, daily with an annual appropriation of more than PhP70 million. Jojo Lamaria/PNA-northboundasia.com