Mandaue’s plastic ban ordinance up for review

Most of the Mandaue City residents have shifted to the use of ecobags and paper bags for their groceries with the implementation of the plastic ban ordinance in July 2016./CDN File Photo

MANDAUE CITY, Philippines – Mandaue City’s plastic ban ordinance may stay but mayor-elect Jonas Cortes want the legislation refined to make it more responsive to the concerns of businessmen and the marketgoers.

He said that while there is a need to regulate plastic use in the city, there is also a need to revisit the ordinance “and sit down and discuss with the business sector kay daghan man sang maapektohan (because this affects a lot of people).”

Cortes said that there was a need to especially look at how the city government can improve its implementation at the wet section of the city’s public market.

He said that fish that is bought from the wet section of the market is placed on sando bags that are later on placed on paper bags.  He said that this kind of a set up only increases garbage that is generated from the public market.

“So, importante gyud kaayo nga ato ning i discuss sa business community ug sa lumulupyo sa dakbayan sa Mandaue,” he said.

(Its is really very important that we discuss the provisions of the ordinance with members of the business community and Mandaue City residents.)

Mandaue City’s plastic ban ordinance was implemented in July 2016 to reduce the volume of plastic thrash that has been identified as one of the major causes of flooding in the city.

Violators of the ordinance were meted with a fine of P500 or imprisonment of five days.