MANILA, Philippines — Environmental advocates on Monday threw their support to the plastic bag and styrofoam/styrophor ban in Muntinlupa, which will take effect this Tuesday.

Actor Roy Alvarez, president of the EcoWaste Coalition, said the ban offers hope for the environment.

“The Muntinlupa plastic ban offers a beacon of hope for our beleaguered environment that has long been suffering from white pollution,” Alvarez said in a statement.

The Philippine Plastics Industry Association has requested the Muntinlupa City government to defer the implementation ofthe plastics ban, saying that the national government has not banned the use of plastic bags.

However, Mayor Aldrin San Pedro said the city government has given establishments one year to comply with Ordinance 10-109, banning the use of plastic bags for wet and dry goods in the city.

Alvarez said plastic bags constitute white pollution “caused by the unimpeded use and disposal of plastic materials such as polyethylene bags and polystyrene containers.”

He said Muntinlupa has the political will in implementing the plastic bag, and styrofoam/styrophor ban.

“By insisting to enforce the ban, Muntinlupa will become an environmental leader among local government units (LGUs) with this bold measure to reduce plastic litter and promote ecological values,” Alvarez said.

Sonia Mendoza of the EcoWaste Coalition’s Task Force on Plastics said “the first citywide plastic ban in Metro Manila has the potential of triggering a domino effect among LGUs who are similarly struggling to find sustainable solutions to persistent garbage and flooding woes.”

“We should give all-out support to Muntinlupa’s effort to protect and nurture the environment,” said Mendoza whose group, the Mother Earth Foundation, represents the civil society in the Metro Manila Solid Waste Management Board.

Ordinance 10-109 prohibits business establishments from using, offering or selling plastic bags such as plastic sando bags, pouches, shopping bags and film bags as primary or secondary packing materials for dry goods and wet goods such as fish, meat and poultry. Violators of the ordinance face fines and imprisonment of not more than six months, depending on the decision of the court.