Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond Palatino today filed House Bill 2676 mandating that educational institutions are prohibited to use Styrofoam food service containers and other synthetic products harmful to the health and environment.

Palatino said, “Styrofoam is non-biodegradable and resists compacting, thereby taking up extra landfill space for long periods of time. The damage exacted by the continued use of Styrofoam is manifest in the perennial problem of waste management in the Philippines.”

Apart from the problem in waste management, the young lawmaker also cited the chemical hazards that Styrofoam or polystryrene contains that “if not properly disposed, continually releases chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs into the atmosphere.”

“CFCs are the same elements found in aerosol propellants and Freon refrigerants that have been contributing to the thinning of the ozone layer in the earth’s atmosphere,” he added.

First filed in the 14th Congress, the said bill “discourages the use of styrofoam in all educational institutions in accordance with Republic Act 9512, which mandates the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education to promote environmental awareness through environmental education. Students should not only learn, but practice environmental protection.”

Instead of using Styrofoam materials, the bill suggests the use of paper products as container or packaging of food products as an alternative.

The owners of food service establishments who are caught violating shall be sent a warning for their first offense. Succeeding offenses shall be imposed a penalty equivalent to ten percent of their monthly profits.

“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. ###