The Philippine government is ramping up the enforcement of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act of 2022 to tackle plastic pollution and prevent garbage from clogging vital urban drainage networks and pumping stations.
Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro noted during a press briefing that uncollected trash remains a primary contributor to municipal pumping station failures.
To address this, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is auditing large enterprises to evaluate their plastic waste recovery performance and hold non-compliant businesses accountable.
“Aktibong binabantayan ng DENR ang pagsunod ng mga kumpanya sa EPR Law sa pamamagitan ng pag-audit sa kanilang recovery rates upang matiyak ang compliance,” Castro said.
The DENR has already issued 155 show-cause orders to firms suspected of failing to meet their statutory obligations. Enacted as Republic Act No. 11898—which amends the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000—the EPR law obligates large corporations to retrieve a set percentage of their plastic footprint, either independently or through Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs).
While the mandated recovery threshold for 2024 was 40%, national audited performance surpassed expectations, reaching 59.98% for rigid plastics and 56.33% for flexible plastics. Mandatory recovery targets are scheduled to rise to 60% by 2026 and 80% by 2028.
Castro emphasized that while strict corporate compliance is vital, community involvement in proper waste disposal is equally critical to solving the broader waste management crisis.
“So, kung ang kumpanya ay tumutupad sa kanilang mga alituntunin at kanilang obligasyon, makikiusap tayo sa ating mga kababayan, mga residente, na tumulong tayo,” she said.
Firms that fail to retrieve their designated plastic packaging footprint or breach regulatory protocols risk facing multi-million-peso fines.
“Sa mga kumpanyang hindi makaka-recover ng kanilang plastic waste footprint o hindi makakasunod sa mga requirement ng batas ay nahaharap sa mga multi-million-peso na multa,” Castro added.