MANILA, Philippines - At least 14 business groups are opposing the ban on the use of plastic bags, saying this would actually be more harmful to the environment.
The business groups, including the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Federation of Philippine Industry and Philippine Exporters Confederation, put out a full-page advertisement in major newspapers yesterday to denounce the plastic ban.
The other business groups are the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Employers Confederation of the Philippines, Pollution Control Association of the Philippines, Samahan ng Pilipinas sa Industriang Kemiko, Association of Petrochemical Manufacturers of the Philippines, Packaging Institute of the Philippines, Polystyrene Packaging Council of the Philippines, Philippine Plastics Industry Association, Metro Plastics Recycling Industries, Philippine Association of Supermarkets and Philippine Amalgamated Supermarkets Association.
“The plastic ban does not protect the environment at all. It leads to more paper use, which means more trees cut and higher water and power use. The environment is worse off,” the ad stated.
Measures banning the use of plastic bags were passed in Quezon City, Pasay City, Muntinlupa, Pasig, Marikina, Las Piñas and Manila.
In Quezon City, a P2 plastic recovery system fee will be collected for each plastic bag starting today.
But business groups said using paper bags is not environment-friendly since up to 17 trees need to be cut to make a ton of paper.
A gallon of water needed to make one paper bag can make up to 116 plastic bags, they added.
A paper bag, the groups said, is also 600 percent heavier than a plastic bag, which would mean that a ban would only increase the trash volume.
“With more cut trees and denuded forests, with more water and energy used, more carbon emissions and more trash, the plastic ban actually harms the environment,” they said.
Some 200,000 workers of the plastic industry may also lose their jobs with the plastic ban, the groups said.
They said climate change and improper waste disposal were really what caused floods.
Instead of a plastic ban, the business groups called for the strict implementation of the Waste Segregation law.
“It entails more work but it will make our cities cleaner and our waterways free of all kinds of waste. Save forests, water and energy; reduce imports; save jobs; and create a robust recycling business all over the country,” they said.
The business groups said using recycled paper to wrap food is also not safe. “Waste paper used could have come from anywhere, including trash,” they said.