Registered businesses have met their target of diverting by 20 percent of their plastics footprint in the first year of the implementation of the Extended Producers’ Responsibility (EPR) Act.
According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources -Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB), a total of 624,547 tons unaudited footprint of plastics were recorded in 2023 and 20 percent or 124,986 tons of plastic packaging were reported to have been diverted.
Businesses have achieved the 20- percent target through waste collection and diversion, including recovery, transportation and cleanup efforts in coastal and public areas.
The EMB also reported a 37- percent increase in the number of businesses that registered under the EPR program, from 667 in 2023 to 917 as of May 6, 2024.
DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga said these numbers show private enterprises have achieved significant strides toward the “shared goal of building a circular economy where waste is minimized, resources are protected and the delicate balance of our planet is restored.”
Loyzaga expressed optimism the Philippines will hit the target of recovering and diverting 80 percent of plastic packaging by 2028.
The EPR Act, which came into force in 2022, requires businesses to conduct proper waste management of plastic packaging products such as sachets, rigid plastic packaging products, plastic bags and polystyrene.
Under the EPR Act, the targets for the recovery of plastic product footprint are: 20 percent for 2023; 40 percent for 2024; 50 percent for 2025; 60 percent for 2026; 70 percent for 2027; and 80 percent for 2028.
DENR’s Department Administrative Order (DAO) 2024-04 promulgated the interim guidelines on the compliance audit reporting for legally bound enterprises under the EPR law.
The DAO aims to help EPR-registered obliged enterprises, collectives and producer responsibility organizations and their respective independent third-party auditors with the annual EPR Compliance Audit Report.
