Hontiveros proposes ban on plastic straws, stirrers

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Risa Hontiveros is waging a war on plastic straws and stirrers.

Hontiveros on Thursday filed Senate Bill 1866 or “The Plastic Straw and Stirrer Ban of 2018,” which seeks to prohibit restaurants and other establishments from offering single-use plastic straws and stirrers to customers.

“Through this proposed bill, we hope to start a national conversation on the need to reduce plastic pollution in our landfills and the oceans by discouraging people from using single-use plastic materials,” she said.

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The bill, if passed into law, will require food service establishments and other service providers, such as sari-sari stores, to display signs informing their customers of their “no plastic straw and stirrer” policy.

The proposed law will fine food establishments caught providing plastic straws and stirrers P50,000 for first offense, P80,000 for second offense and P150,000 and the suspension of business permit for one year for the third offense.

Establishments are allowed to provide suitable beverage straws to individuals who require them due to a disability or medical condition.

The proposed measure also seeks to effect behavioral change among Filipinos, Hontiveros said.

“We hope straws and stirrers will become ‘gateway plastics’ to convince people to shift from using plastic to reusable products. If we can persuade the people of the positive effects of not using plastic straws and stirrers, we can encourage them not to use other single-use plastics such as bags and bottles,” the senator stressed.

Data from the 2015 study of the United Nations Environment Programme showed that the Philippines wastes 6.2 million kilograms of plastic daily, of which 81 percent is mismanaged.

The country was found to be the third biggest contributor of plastic wastes to the world’s oceans, next to China and Indonesia.