Villar urges shopping malls to help solve garbage problem

Alarmed at the increasing volume of solid waste in the metropolis, Senate President Manny Villar today asked shopping mall owners to take part in the effort to reduce the daily garbage produce of millions of their customers.

Villar urged owners of department stores, malls and commercial establishments to make available reusable environment-friendly shopping bags to their customers and patrons to replace the usual plastic shopping bags.

"I understand there are grocery stores now that are providing their customers with earth-friendly reusable bags but for a fee. This practice will be more effective if they will give out these bags at no cost to customers," Villar said.

He added that this is the intention of the bill he filed, which introduces a simpler dimension to solid waste management.

"This approach will combine citizen discipline and responsible corporate management and hopefully will make a significant dent in the garbage problem," Villar said.

The Nacionalista Party president said plastics comprise a sizeable amount of the daily garbage produce in the metropolis and there is now a pressing need to cut down on the use of plastics as these are non-biodegradable.

Senate Bill 1802 proposes to mandate all department stores, malls and commercial establishments to provide reusable ecologically-friendly bags to replace the existing plastic shopping bags they give to customers and patrons.

Once enacted into law, this will cover commercial establishments with three or more stores, sales offices or branches nationwide or those with capitalization of more than P5 million. After three years of the effectivity of this act, it will be mandated as a requirement of registering or operating a business or commercial endeavor, he said.

"Solving the country's garbage problem has a lot to do with lifestyle. Every individual must participate and must be responsible in solving the perennial garbage problem," he stressed.

Senate Bill 1802 is among the many bills filed by Villar with the end in view of protecting and preserving the environment. When he was Speaker of the House of Representatives, he worked for the enactment of his pet bill, the Clean Air Act. As Representative of Las Piñas, he spearheaded the "Sagip Ilog," a community based campaign to revive the Las Piñas River and the Zapote River. He also developed a P10 million tree nursery for the greening of communities in his district under the project "Pagtatanim para sa Kinabukasan." Villar also initiated the establishment of Bambusetum in Las Piñas, where various species of bamboo tree are planted, mainly to prevent soil erosion in the river and to educate the public on bamboo varieties.