CITY OF MALOLOS, Bulacan, April 4 (PIA) -- Learning from the onslaught of storms last year, Bulacan has banned the use and sale of plastic bags in all the municipalities of the province.

Governor Wilhelmino Alvarado signed Provincial Ordinance No. 2012-09 which prohibits the sale and use of non-biodegradable plastic bags, styrofoam and other kinds used as packaging materials in the province's 21 towns and three cities.

Under the measure, violators will face a P5,000 fine and one year imprisonment.

Alvarado said the ordinance will be immediately enforced after the implementing rules and regulations are issued.

The ordinance was passed six months after Alvarado wrote the provincial board to create a provincial ordinance banning the use and sale of plastic bags in the markets.

The governor added that the ordinance will be implemented in the 569 barangays of Bulacan.

Study shows that plastic bags and other plastic products aggravate flooding in many areas. It is also prohibited to burn plastic materials under the Clean Air Act.

Meanwhile, the SM Supermalls in Baliwag and Marilao are already implementing a no plastic policy and has totally banned the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags in their shopping malls.

It could be recalled that the onslaught of typhoons Pedring and Quiel last September and October ravaged about 9,500 hectares of fisheries in Bulacan and damaged farmlands with an estimated P2 billion-damage.

Bulacan topped the list with the most ravaged fish farms in Central Luzon, incurring P220 million in damages, followed by Pampanga with P49 million and Bataan with P29 million.

The province also suffered P157 million worth of damages in vegetables and P6 million in livestock, according to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council's report. (CLJD/JMG-PIA3)

Source: http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?menu=&;pdp=7&article=1951333425209

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