CEBU CITY--Starting January, the City of Naga in southern Cebu will implement "Green Days" or the ban on single-use plastics.
In an ordinance, food chains, restaurants, supermarkets, eateries and other commercial establishments in the city will be prohibited from using single-use plastics.
"(They) shall not dispose of all of their stocks of food and products packages made from plastics, styrofoams and similar non-biodegradable materials and shall replace them with environmentally-friendly materials such as paper plates, paper bags, paper cups, paper board-food packs and other similar boidegradable materials," read Ordinance 2020-11, or the Integrated Solid Waste Management Ordinance of the City of Naga, Cebu.
The ordinance was passed January this year, but it will only be next year that it will be fully implemented.
It was in July when the city gradually implemented the ordinance, declaring "no plastic days" on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
The City Environment and Natural Resources Office was tasked to strictly monitor the compliance of the ordinance.
Violation of the ordinance carries a fine of P500 to P5,000 and rendering a community service or an imprisonment of up to six months.
The ordinance also requires households and establishments to segregate biodegrade and non-biodegradable wastes.