Kabataan Party-list Representative Raymond “Mong” Palatino today filed House Bill 6798, which seeks to ban the use of Styrofoam food service containers and other synthetic materials harmful to the environment in all schools.

Palatino said Styrofoam is non-biodegrable and resists compacting, taking up extra landfill space for long periods of time. “The damage exacted by the continued use of polystyrene (Styrofoam) is manifest in the perrenial problem of waste management in the Philippines,” he said in the bill’s explanatory note. The use of Styrofoam, he said, also poses possible health risks as it has a component called styrene, which is classified as a possible human carcinogen.

“The use of styrofoam is prevalent in schools, as school cafeterias and other food establishment sell food items that are packaged in disposable forms. Educational institutions should not only teach environmental awareness to its students, as mandated by Republic Act 9512. They should also practice what they preach,” Palatino said.

According to the bill, food service businesses inside schools caught selling food items in styrfoam packages shall be sent a warning for the first offense, while a penalty equivalent to 30 percent of their monthly profits shall be imposed for succeeding offenses.

The proposed law also calls on local health and environment units to seek for alternatives to Styrofoam.

“Many consumer products today are packaged in the so-called “disposable” form. Major producers of food products use expanded polystyrene, popularly known as Styrofoam, as it helps them maximize profit and sales. The result is that they create and continuously tap a consumer market that equates convenience with simply throwing away the refuse of the commodities they consume,” Palatino said.

Download full text of bill.