EPR law takes effect, Rodriguez says
Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, one of the principal authors of the law in Congress, said that Republic Act 11989 mandates companies to establish Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) programs in their recovery, recycling, cleanup, and transportation of plastic waste for disposal.
“With the EPR, Manufacturers must take note of the reusability, retrievability and recyclability of their plastic products. Hence, we are expecting that plastic wastes will be substantially reduced in due course of time,” Rodriguez stressed.
The new law also mandates the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to develop a national framework on all types of waste to guide companies’ EPR programs.
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, in Asia, the Philippines is the world's third-largest polluter with around 2.7 million metric tons of plastic trash generated each year, only next to Indonesia and China. (PR)
Courtesy: Rufus Rodriguez Facebook