TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Following the full implementation of Ordinance No. 003 series 2021, “An ordinance regulating the use of cellophane and sando bags as packaging material and the utilization of styrofoam for food and beverage containers in the city,” authored by Councilor Samuel Sumaal, the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) is set to issue citation ticket for violators of said ordinance.
This is the statement released by Assistant City Environment and Natural Resources Officer George Andres Padalla in her guesting for the June 15 episode of Magandang Tanghali Mayor, the radio program of the city government aired over Radyo Natin.
The issuance of citation tickets according to Padalla, will assist a greater enforcement of the policy for a plastic-free Tabuk City and to ensure that no commercial establishments use cellophanes as secondary packaging material, stressing that, as a non-biodegradable substance, plastic bags significantly contribute to the city’s waste production.
According to Padalla, violators will be fined P5,000, P3,000, and P1,000 for first, second, and third offenses, respectively. Cellophanes will also be confiscated and sent to the sanitary landfill facility in Barangay Dilag for shredding, and their business license may not be renewed. The city administration and the barangay would split the money that is collected, and as soon as the City Treasury Office prints the citation tickets, this initiative will begin, she reported.
The CENRO is pushing barangays, customers, and commercial and retail establishments to utilize alternative and environmentally friendly packaging materials when they shop because of the detrimental environmental and health effects of utilizing this type of packaging material.
