OPPORTUNITIES TO MOVE FORWARD
Against the backdrop of a global plastic pollution crisis, a growing number of cities and municipalities in the Philippines have passed ordinances that ban shopping bags and other single-use plastics (SUPs). These initiatives remain woefully inadequate, however, in solving the problem of plastic waste. The country lacks a national plastics policy that will harmonize initiatives and steer it towards a more sustainable, circular economy.
Exciting evidence from a nationwide survey showing that majority of Filipinos are aware of the problem concerning plastics — and in fact support the idea of regulating SUPs — strongly suggests a window of opportunity to pass key legislation on plastics.
