After China and Indonesia, the Philippines is the third largest contributor to ocean plastics in the world. Specifically, in Quezon City, plastic bags have been found to amount to 12 percent of the total waste composition, and a primary challenge faced was improperly discarded bags ending up in the waterways, landfills and the environment.

In 2012, the City Government enacted the Plastic Bag Reduction Ordinance, which two years later, integrated into the Ordinance Providing for the Environmental Protection and Waste Management Code of Quezon City, also known as the “QC Environment Code”.

The ordinance required type 1 retailers (shopping malls, supermarkets, department stores, grocery stores, fast food chains, drug stores, pharmacy) to impose a Plastic Recovery System Fee (PRSF) of two pesos (P2.00) or about €0.04, for plastic bags having a thickness not lower than 15 microns. The fee and bag recovery system was determined after a comprehensive and in-depth consultation with the business sector.

The establishment of a plastic recovery system fee was primarily designed to change consumer behavior and raise awareness, rather than to generate funds. As such, the fee was not remitted to city's funds but remains with the retail stores and then utilized to fund various environmental initiatives, subject to prior approval of the city government.

To monitor progresses, each retail business has to submit quarterly to the City Government a self-monitoring report detailing the quantity of recovered plastic bags and the amount of collected plastic recovery fee.

As of the end of 2017, a total number of 6,269,278 pieces of plastic bags were recovered.

Since its implementation in 2012 and up to the first quarter of 2018, a total amount of at least PHP 285 million (€4.8 million) was reported by 68 Type1 Relevant Retailers (shopping malls, supermarkets, fast food chains, etc.) throughout the City as a result of the Green Fund that was established alongside the ban through fees on plastic bags.

A number of establishments have also implemented their “green fund” projects. For instance, one establishment utilized these revenues to donate 11,000 chairs made from converted soft plastic to various schools across the city. Another example is the donation of several eco-bicycles to the city’s police force.

This policy intervention is contributing to a shift in consumers behaviour towards a more reuse-oriented attitude, as well as institutionalizing a revenue-generating system that directly benefits the local communities and contributes to the City’s objective of becoming a low carbon and sustainable city.

Photo by Brian Yurasits on Unsplash