The Cebu City Hall. CDN Digital photo | Brian J. Ochoa
CEBU CITY, Philippines — To lessen the use of plastics at the city hall, Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera has proposed a resolution that would soon ban the use of styrofoam food containers in city government-procured food packs.
Garganera, the chairman of the council’s Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, Energy, and Other Utilities, on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, filed a resolution requesting the Office of the City Mayor to discourage or restrict all department heads from procuring food packs from contractors using styrofoam containers.
The council approved the resolution on the same day.
Garganera, in his resolution, said the Cebu City Rivers Management Council, last September 2022, issued a resolution requesting the same and encouraging department heads to use biodegradable food containers and utensils.
He said the volume of garbage collected in the city is composed of non-biodegradables such as plastics and styrofoam, which end up in the city’s rivers and waterways.
Garganera said that in 2022, the Cebu City Coastal Management Task Force collected 13 tons of garbage during a four-hour clean up, of which 78 percent of the garbage collected was made up of plastics.
“In line with the thrust of the government for a Singapore-like Cebu City, it is necessary for us to take a more proactive step to aid in the rehabilitation, maintenance and protection of our rivers and waterways for the overall improvement of our solid waste management system,” reads a portion of his resolution.
Cebu City is home to major waterways, namely Butuanon River, Mahiga Creek, Lahug River, Parian Creek, Guadalupe River, Kinalumsan River, and Bulacao River.
/bmjo
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