Two environmental groups called on the government Monday to implement a “long overdue” policy that could help propel the country into a zero-waste and toxic-free circular economy.

The EcoWaste Coalition and Oceana Philippines asked the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) to release the list of non-environmentally acceptable products (NEAPs) for prohibition as required under Section 29 of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act (R.A. 9003).

In a statement, the environmental groups said list has long been overdue and should have been released by the commission, a year after the R.A. No.  9003 took effect in 2001.

“After two decades, the NSWMC has yet to produce the list of NEAP for phase-out and eventual elimination,” said EcoWaste Coalition National Coordinator Aileen Lucero

“It’s time for the commission to work doubly hard in order to get a game-changing list out by this year to reduce both the volume and toxicity of our discards,” she added.

The groups also pushed for the implementation of Section 30 of RA No. 9003, which prohibits  the sale or conveyance of products placed, wrapped or packaged in non-environmentally acceptable packaging materials.

“The commission’s inability to fast track the formulation of such list has badly affected the efforts of local government units, communities and households to achieve zero waste with the unrestrained production, distribution, consumption and disposal of products and packaging materials that are too difficult  to recycle due to their chemical composition,” said Lucero.

Atty. Gloria Estenzo Ramos, Vice-President of Oceana Philippines, likewise scored the NSWMC for failing to prioritize the formulation of the NEAP list, saying that the country’s waste products are also contributing to the contamination of the world’s oceans.

“We strongly urge the NSWMC to draw up the long-overdue list of products that are ‘unsafe in production, use, post-consumer use, or that produce or release harmful by-products when discarded,’ with single-use plastics (SUPs) on top of the list,” Ramos said in the same statement.

“The effect would be a tremendous reduction at the source of plastic pollution as production, use and trade of SUPs as a NEAP will be prohibited, with a hefty fine and other sanctions,” she noted.

According to the groups, the adoption of the NEAP list and its implementation will create investments in product redesigns and delivery systems that will ultimately reduce, if not eradicate, the use of toxic chemical additives and waste generation.

The Department of Environment and National Resources (DENR) conducted a virtual public consultation last January 22 to identify single-use plastic items that will be included in the NEAP list.

The virtual consultation was participated in by 169 representatives from local government units, private sector, and key stakeholders from civil society groups, including EcoWaste Coalition and Oceana Philippines.