By embracing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act of 2022 and the circular economy, Senator Cynthia Villar said “we are ready to pave the way for a more sustainable future.”
“The EPR law is not a burden but a call to partnership and cooperation, recognizing that we all have a role to play,” stressed Villar as she the time to act is now.
Villar was the Guest Speaker during the Extended Producer Responsibility Act of 2022 Campaign Launch at Conrad Hotel, Pasay City, last Aug. 4.
Villar said the theme of the event organized by the DENR and UNDF was “LOOPFORWARD: Linking Opportunities and Partnerships Towards Circular through EPR.”
Under the inspiring banner of LOOPFORWARD, Villar exhorted everyone to unite in supporting the EPR Act and in advancing a circular economy.
“This law offers a better approach to plastic waste management than merely expecting citizens to segregate and manage it, or leaving the local government units across our more than seven thousand islands to handle overwhelming plastic waste,” said Villar, principal author and sponsor of EPR or Republic Act No. 11898.
Without an EPR system, she considered as “messy and costly” collecting packaging waste in an archipelago like the Philippines.
EPR places the responsibility for products squarely on the manufacturers- from creation to disposal.
“Experiences around the world have shown that EPRs have shifted the financial burden of waste management to producers, thereby resulting in reduced public costs for hauling and disposal, decreased waste volumes, and a thriving recycling industry,” related Villar.
The chairperson of the Senate committee on environment and natural resources, further stated that obliged enterprises may also set up or contract with a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) to handle the resource recovery of such wastes on their behalf.
The law further provides incentives under the National Internal Revenue Code for obliged enterprises practicing EPR.
Meanwhile, Villar thanked the DENR led by Sec. Toni Loyzaga for coming up with the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the EPR law since last January, and for initiating this campaign to foster greater compliance with the law.
