A QUEZON City councilor has proposed the setting aside of a ?plastic bag holiday? or a whole day ban on plastic bags every first and last Friday of the month in the city.

In her proposal, Councilor Dorothy Delarmente is pushing for the regulation of the use of plastic bags and the imposition of environmental fees when these are used.

According to the proposal, no plastic bags will be provided at checkout cashier counters of stores on the the first and last Fridays of the month.
?It's the duty of the city government to protect the natural environment, the economy and health of its citizens,? the proposal read.

Delarmente said she filed the proposal because of the large volume of waste, including plastic bags, that are being dumped at the Payatas Disposal Facility.

Around 1,259 tons of waste are dumped at the waste facility every day, according to data from the Quezon City Environmental Protection and Waste Management Department.

An estimated 21% or 264,390 kgs of the waste materials were assorted plastic materials, while 12% or 151,080 kgs/day were composed of plastic bags.

Delarmente noted that plastic bags contribute largely to the volume of municipal solid waste brought to the dump daily.
Plastic bags also clog canals and sewage systems, resulting in floods, she added.

The proposal also requires stores to put up its own ?buy back centers? or outlets where consumers can bring their used plastic bags.

The stores can bring the accumulated used plastic bags to the waste markets provided by the city government or sell these directly to recycling shops.

A tax credit will be given to retailers with a significantly reduced plastic bag consumption of at least 50% of the total consumption.

Delarmente also sought the imposition of a P1,000 fine for the first offense, P3,000 for the second offense and the cancellation of the store?s business permit on the third offense.