City officials recently approved an ordinance that institutionalized the Clean-As-You-Go practice in certain food serving establishments in the city and providing penalties for violations of the same.
Under Ordinance No. 18, series of 2024, it shall cover restaurants, fastfood chains, cafeterias, eateries, bakeries, coffee shops, canteens, food outlets, and all similar food establishments and public eating places in the city.
The ordinance stated that all owners, proprietors and managers of restaurants, fastfood chains, cafeterias, eateries, bakeries, coffee shops, canteens, food outlets and all similar food establishments and public eating places in the city shall be required to initiate and institutionalize measures and programs within their establishments to encourage the practice of Clean-As-You-Go by their customers.
Further, all owners or managers of the aforesaid establishments shall ensure that all customers or diners in food serving establishments cleanup the dining tables or areas after utilizing them; install signages and other promotional materials about Clean-As-You-Go within the premises of the establishments; provide a minimum of three garbage bins for biodegradable, non-biodegradable and recyclable materials pursuant to Ordinance No. 16, series of 2006 or the City Ordinance on Solid Waste Management; provide a designated depository area where customers can place their return trays and other used non-disposable tableware such as those made from ceramic, plastic, wood, metal, glass, among others, and provide basic cleaning supplies such as tissue, washcloth near the depository areas.
However, fine dining restaurants that provide fancier menus, elegant or formal atmosphere, and food handling services as an added premium to their customers or diners are exempted from the coverage of the ordinance.
The ordinance tasked the City Health Services Office (CHSO) to conduct inspection of all those included in the measure to ensure compliance to the pertinent provisions.
Any offender who does not comply with the pertinent provisions of the ordinance shall be penalized by a fine of PhP500 for every violation once they are found not ensuring the practice of the Clean-As-You-Go practice. For those owners and managers of establishment that fail to practice the policy, they shall be fined PhP500 and a notice of violation for the first offense; a fine of PhP1000 and notice of violation for the second offense and a fine of PhP2,000 and a notice of violation for the third and subsequent offenses;
The ordinance also tasked the Public Information Office to widely disseminate the pertinent provisions of the measure through social media and other means of circulation for the proper information of the public on the said matter.
The ordinance added that diners and establishments covered under pertinent provisions of the measure shall be given a 90-day grace period within which they have to comply with the resolution. By Dexter A. See
