World Wide Fund for Nature Philippines (WWF-Philippines) recently released an updated report entitled “Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Scheme Assessment for Plastic Packaging Waste in the Philippines”. In the first edition of this report released in 2020, it was reported that in 2019, the number of plastic items consumed by Filipinos was 2.15 million tons per annum. Thirty-five percent (35%) of the consumed plastics leak into the open environment, while 33% are disposed of in sanitary landfills and open dumpsites, with only 9% recycled because of our lack of capacity to recycle both high and low-value plastics.
This updated report proposes an EPR scheme where the responsibility of implementing the scheme for building high-quality recycling capacity should be assumed by an industry-led, non-profit Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO), acting as the system operator, with strict monitoring and control systems carried out by the government.
WWF-Philippines pushes for an EPR scheme as a critical policy tool that holds producers accountable for the full life cycle of their products and packaging. EPR is an environmental policy approach that emerged in the 1990s and is now increasingly recognized globally as a useful tool for accelerating the transition to sustainable waste management and a circular economy. This scheme encourages waste reduction through the elimination of unnecessary packaging of products and the development of more environmentally friendly packaging design.
The updated EPR report states: “An important feature of the proposed scheme is giving producers, through the PRO, operational involvement in the EPR scheme. This operational responsibility is manifested by providing assistance in the organization and operation of MRFs… In this scheme, funds from the EPR fees collected from the producers are allocated to assist city and municipal LGUs in the establishment and operations of MRF. This gives each MRF an opportunity to be professionalized and establish standardized set-up and operations, a feature which it currently lacks given the current solid waste management system.”
The proposed EPR roadmap incorporates the existing country’s solid waste management infrastructure such as Materials Recovery Facilities (MRF), junk shops, and recycling facilities that aims to recover recyclable wastes. The informal waste sector, an important contributor to the Philippines’ recycling rate, has also been integrated into the EPR system. Initiatives from the businesses and civil society organizations have been included.
EPR has been gaining traction among policymakers. The House of Representatives recently passed House Bill 9147 (“Single-Use Plastic Products Regulation Act”) as the proposed substitute bill for plastics that includes an introductory provision for EPR. Meanwhile, in the Senate, Senate Bill 2425 also known as the “Extended Producers Responsibility Act” is now on its Second Reading.
The proposed roadmap is part of the No Plastic in Nature Initiative – WWF’s global initiative to stop the flow of plastics entering nature by 2030 through the elimination of unnecessary plastics, doubling reuse, recycling, and recovery, and ensuring remaining plastic is sourced responsibly. Through this initiative, WWF-Philippines has been working with cities on plastic leakage, policymakers to advocate for a global treaty on plastic pollution and EPR, businesses to transition to circular business models, and the general public to campaign and act.
To know more about WWF-Philippines and its initiatives, please visit https://wwf.org.ph/