Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 26) — The Senate approved on second reading a bill that seeks to require certain companies to implement management programs for plastic packaging waste.
On Thursday, Senate Bill 2425 was approved on its second reading. The bill aims to institutionalize the Extended Producer Responsibility, or EPR system, in the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act,
The EPR is a policy in which companies are expected to be responsible for the “proper and effective recovery, treatment, recycling or disposal of their products after they have been sold or used,” with the objective of reducing plastic packaging waste and improving their recyclability or reusability.
Under the measure, micro and small enterprises are not required to have an EPR except if they are suppliers of branded and unbranded plastics.
The bill was jointly prepared by the Committees on Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change; Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship; Ways and Means; and Finance, with Senators Cynthia Villar, Bong Revilla Jr., Koko Pimentel, Pia Cayetano, and Sonny Angara as authors.
During the Senate session’s period of amendments, Senator Villar included medium enterprises to the list of exempted businesses.
Once passed into law, companies that comply with the EPR requirement will also be eligible for incentives, including tax exemptions.
