DENR flags 155 firms for failing to meet plastic recovery obligations

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has issued show-cause letters to 155 companies for allegedly failing to meet their obligations under Republic Act No. 11898, or the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) law, according to Malacañang.

Palace press officer Claire Castro said on Thursday that the DENR was closely monitoring companies covered by the law, amid concerns over plastic waste clogging waterways and pumping stations during the recent heavy rains that flooded different parts of the country, especially Metro Manila.

“The DENR is actively monitoring the compliance of companies with the EPR law through audits of their recovery rates,” Castro said in a briefing in Malacañang.

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According to Castor, the DENR issued 155 show-cause letters to potential “obliged enterprises” that failed to meet their EPR requirements.

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Malacañang, however, did not disclose any of these potential violators.

READ: Addressing flooding: Moral education needed beyond policies – lawmaker

Companies that failed to comply with the EPR requirements shall be fined P5 million to P10 million for their first offense, and P10 million to P15 million for second offense.

Third time offenders shall be slapped with a fine of P15 million to P20 million, and an automatic suspension of business permit until they are able to comply with the EPR requirements.

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Castro said companies had generally exceeded the targets based on audited recovery rates.

In 2024, the recovery rate reached 59.98 percent for rigid plastics and 56.33 percent for flexible plastics, she said. Both figures were above the 40 percent legal target for that year.

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Still, Castro said the companies’ compliance should be monitored more closely.

The EPR law, which lapsed into law on July 23, 2022, is intended to shift some of the responsibility for plastic waste management to producers.

It requires companies to account for the plastic packaging they put into circulation and ensure that a portion is recovered and recycled.

READ: Parañaque’s ‘sea of trash’ prompts Marcos inspection

Under RA 11898, companies covered by the EPR requirement must progressively increase their recovery of plastic packaging waste.

The recovery target was set at 20 percent in 2023, rising to 40 percent in 2024 and 50 percent in 2025. The target increases to 60 percent in 2026, 70 percent in 2027, and 80 percent in 2028 and every year thereafter.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier described the garbage situation in Metro Manila as “critical,” as truckloads of waste were hauled into waterways following the recent heavy rains.

He said the clogged waterways disrupted pumping station operations and worsened the perennial flooding problem.

Castro said the government could not address improper garbage disposal alone.

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“There really needs to be greater responsibility and enforcement, not just from the government but from all of us,” she said. /jpv