MANDAUE City’s environment office said they noticed a drop in the volume of plastic waste collected from commercial establishments since the plastic ban ordinance took effect last August.
Araceli Barlam, head of Mandaue City Hall’s City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), said they recorded 116 violators of the plastic ban, mostly ambulant vendors.
Barlam said nearly all of the violators were first offenders who paid their P500 fines.
Second time violators will have their business permits revoked, Barlam said.
“I have even noticed that plastic waste has dropped based on the report from the Department of General Services since the plastic ban was implemented,” Barlam said.
Felix Suico of Mandaue’s City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) said the canals were mostly cleared of plastic garbage and the flooding came from seven barangays with poor outfall.
He said the city will purchase an amphibious dredger to clear the waterways and consider expropriation of private lots for a drainage outfall.
Barlam said they also noticed that some stores still wrap goods in plastic before placing them in paper bags.
She said she will ask the council to amend the ordinance to include apprehension of violators.