More than two years into the pandemic, the Pateros municipal government has banned the improper disposal of used face masks and other items related to Covid-19.
The Pateros Municipal Council has approved Ordinance No. 2022-04 “prohibiting the improper disposal of face masks and other Covid-19 protective gears and products in the Municipality of Pateros and providing penalties for violation thereof.”
The ordinance was passed “to stop the unsafe disposal of used face masks and related protective gears and products; to ensure the ecological management of Covid-19 waste and to promote waste workers health and safety; and to promote health awareness and environmental responsibility among the citizens.”
According to the local law, “all used face masks should be treated as hazardous and contaminated waste. As such. proper disposal of used face masks generated from household shall be observed.”
It added that in households, used face masks should be cut in half to prevent possible reuse. The used face masks should be put in a small garbage bag, which should be properly closed or sealed before disposal.
“This Ordinance shall prohibit the littering, throwing or dumping of used face masks, face shields, hand gloves, and other PPE , and related Covid-19 discarded items in public places such as streets, sidewalks, parks, canals, esteros and other water bodies,” according to the ordinance.
It added that “all offices of the Municipal Government, commercial establishment, hospitals, and medical clinics, and educational and religious institution are required to provide designated receptacles or bins properly labeled and with graphics indicating the hazardous nature of waste to ensure proper disposal of face masks and other Covid-19 protective gears and products within the premises.”
Violators of the ordinance will be fined P500 for the first offense, P1,000 for the second offense, and a fine of P2,000 or imprisonment of one month or both for the third and subsequent offenses depending on the decision of the court.
If the offender is a juridical entity like a business establishment, the fine is P1,000 for the first offense, P2,000 for the second offense, and a fine of P2,500 and revocation of business permit for the third and subsequent offenses.