The Senate is set to begin plenary debates on the bill which would institutionalize the practice of extended producers responsibility (EPR) on their plastic packaging waste.

Before the upper chamber adjourned sessions for a monthlong break Wednesday night, September 29, Senator Cynthia Villar sponsored Senate Bill No. 2425, which seeks to amend the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2002 (Republic Act No. 9003).

Twenty-one senators signed the committee report on the bill, which consolidates 10 proposals calling for the regulation of single-use plastics and its production, importation and disposal by industries.

In sponsoring the bill, Villar, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change, recalled the July 10, 2000 landslide at the Payatas dumpsite in Quezon City which killed over 200 people.

The tragedy prompted the enactment of the RA 9003, which banned open ground dumpsites.

"Unfortunately, we are better in legislation than implementation...Open dumpsites are still operational, mixed waste are still being collected in urban areas; there is still no national ecology center to speak of; and the burden of waste reduction, segregation, and management mostly fell into the lap of households and the local government," Villar lamented.

Villar also cited a 2015 University of Georgia study placing the Philippines in third place among 192 countries in terms of volume of plastic waste that end up in the ocean.

"And six years hence, from the conduct of that study, it seems that we have not improved our ranking," she added.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also complicated the problem on plastic waste.

On the other hand, manufacturers still do not have the legal responsibility "to ensure the recyclability and upscalability of their products and packaging", Villar said.

Under the 31-page bill, companies shall be responsible for the recovery, treatment, recycling or disposal of their plastic packaging after their products have been sold and used by consumers.

Obliged companies include producers, manufacturers and importers of products used by the general public, including suppliers of branded and unbranded plastics.

They would be mandated to adopt mechanisms and strategies for the "effective and proper" recovery and management of plastic packaging wastes and coordinate with the government on the implementation of their EPR programs.

The bill also sets targets so companies would improve their performance over time.

As an incentive, the measure proposes that obliged companies enjoy tax and duty-free importation for the equipment for use in the EPR programs for 10 years.

But those who fail to implement EPR will be slapped with fines, in addition to the penalties provided under the RA 9003.

Villar said the EPR system will help reduce the public expenses on waste management and decrease the volume of waste being produced.

The bill is expected to be discussed further when sessions resume on November 8.