Congressional Committee on Ecology

The Congressional Committee on Ecology winded up its years of consultative meetings by finalizing the Draft for the Bill Regulating the Use of Plastic Bags on 1 June 2011. All 17 Congressmen who sponsored the various bills that were consolidated into this one being deliberated upon attended the session. One of the prominent features of this Bill incorporates PAGASA’ s suggestion to charge all customers a token/minimum of P1.00 for every new plastic bag used IF customer does not bring his own eco-bag or does not bring used plastic bags in exchange for the new ones used for the groceries he purchased. Supermarkets, as volunteered by PAGASA, will act as collection points for recyclers to recover clean used plastic bags. The P1.00 must be charged by all supermarkets to assure a level playing field and to make it a bit painful on the pockets of consumers if they do not do their share in sustainable development by bringing in used plastic bags to help build a recycling industry. Last Updated ( Sunday, 07 August 2011 )