Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 8) – If you are from Parañaque City, you might want to start looking for reusable bags to haul your groceries home.
This is because the local government announced in a Facebook post Tuesday that it passed an ordinance “regulating the use, provision and sale of styrofoam, plastic bags and plastic for prepared food and beverage containers and prescribing penalties thereof.”
This means that starting in June, the city will no longer allow stores and restaurants to use plastic bags, and disposable straws and cutlery.
Parañaque joins Muntinlupa, Pasig, Makati, Las Pinas, Quezon City and Pasay in restricting plastic use in trade in place of a nationwide ban and regulation.
Last year, President Rodrigo Duterte floated the idea to ban the use of plastics in one of their Cabinet meetings, according to his spokesman Salvador Panelo.
A number of bills to stop the use of single-use plastics have been filed in Congress.
According to ocean conservation group Oceana, an estimated 78 million tons of plastic packaging produced yearly end up in oceans, threatening marine life and food security.
