DENR to ban plastic straws, coffee stirrers

MANILA, Philippines — Plastic softdrink straws and plastic coffee stirrers will be included on the list of non-environmentally acceptable products (NEAP) to be  banned as part of the implementation of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

The draft resolution on the ban was approved during a virtual meeting of the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) on Tuesday.

The resolution was passed despite strong opposition from some members of the commission, such as the Department of Trade and Industry as well as manufacturing and recycling industries.

Representatives of the Department of Health, Metro Manila Development Authority, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Agriculture, Department of Public Works and Highways, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Philippine Information Agency, League of Municipalities of the Philippines, League of Cities of the Philippines and non-government organizations represented by the EcoWaste Coalition also attended the meeting.

“I am elated that after 20 years, the NEAP listing has commenced,” Environment Undersecretary Benny Antiporda said.

The  NSWMC held multi-sectoral consultations on the NEAP list on Jan. 22  and Feb. 1, with 169 and 178 participants, respectively, from local government units, the private sector and stakeholders from civil society groups.

Meanwhile, EcoWaste Coalition urged authorities to adopt a more ambitious list to include materials, which contain toxic additives.

“The inclusion of all single-use plastics... along with other products and packaging materials containing toxic additives that can harm human health and the environment should be a top priority for the NSWMC to drastically reduce the volume and toxicity of residual garbage that we cannot reuse or recycle and only exacerbate environmental pollution,” EcoWaste Coalition national coordinator Aileen Lucero said.