PLASTIC REDUCTION. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez (left) and Plastic Credit Exchange (PCEx) founder and president Nanette Medved-Po (right) show the signed memorandum of agreement in a virtual signing ceremony on Aug. 27, 2021. DTI and PCEx are partnering to curb plastic pollution in the country. (Screenshot from the signing ceremony)
MANILA – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Plastic Credit Exchange (PCEx) have signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) forging a partnership to address plastic waste problem in the country.
The MOA was signed by DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez and PCEx founder and president Nanette Medved-Po on Friday.
“This agreement with the Plastic Credit Exchange will encourage our business sector to take responsibility for the plastic wastes that their products generate, reduce their own carbon footprint, and lessen the damaging impact of plastic wastes on the environment,” Lopez said.
He also urged consumers to practice ethical and sustainable consumption and responsible use and disposal of plastics.
PCEx, a non-profit organization, has been partnering with big companies and even small-scale businesses like sari-sari stores, as well as the government and communities for plastic waste collection, recycling, and recovery through a credit mechanism.
Through its waste-to-cash program, PCEx’s partner plastic processors pay for the plastic waste that they collected from micro-entrepreneurs and communities.
“We have the common goal that no plastic should wind up in nature, but find its way back to its circular economy,” Medved-Po said.
She added PCEx has three plastic processor partners with a total of 12 processing facilities.
Through the partnership with DTI, Medved-Po aims to have more partner processors across the country.
“We look forward to an increasing number of companies and establishments who will soon become plastic neutral and carry the PCEx mark or the plastic neutral product badge. We also eagerly anticipate seeing more establishments participating as drop-off points for consumers’ used plastics, and more sari-sari stores taking part in the waste-to-cash incentive scheme for consumers,” Lopez said.
PCEx has partnered with big malls and some sari-sari stores in Metro Manila as drop-off points for plastic waste from consumers.
Among the types of plastic that they accept include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS). (PNA)
