Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Situation Analysis

Plastic is an artificial substance that can be shaped when soft into many different

forms and has many different uses such as plastic bags, drinking straws, bottles, plastic

utensil, and plates. These plastics were created to be convenient, hygienic, and strong.

Plastic bag is a type of container made of thin, flexible or plastic textile. Polyethylene

plastic bags are the common plastic bags that are made from crude oil. Its decomposition

takes 700-1000 years, and in unfavorable conditions it never decomposes. Plastic bags

are used for containing and transporting goods and it is a common form of packaging.

Every year, shoppers use 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags, which translate to 150 bags

a year for every person worldwide. According to Pricenomics website, the most

problematic use of plastic bags is the classic plastic bag used for groceries used in

supermarkets for wet goods. Similarly, plastic utensils, plates, water bottles use as food

packaging due to its durability and lightweight.

The expansive usage of plastic combined with the throwaway attitude of

consumers, improper disposal and small recycling percentage leads to the pervasive

amount of plastic waste. The neglectful use of plastic is a worldwide phenomenon as

plastic threatens the environment. Plastics kill wildlife through ingestion and incineration

of plastic pollutes the air and toxic substances, clog waterways and pack landfills.
 2

On the other hand, the consumption of Styrofoam is also sweeping around the

nation. According to Beachapedia, polystyrene is a type of plastic manufactured from

non-renewable fossil fuels and can’t be recycled. “Styrofoam” is how most of us

generically refer to the “Expanded polystyrene foam (EPS), but it’s actually a term

trademarked by the Dow Chemical Company for extruded polystyrene that’s used in

thermal insulation and craft applications. Expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) which is the

material that is made into cups, plates, take-out food containers, and packing materials.

According to Collier county environmental group, Styrofoam is buried into U.S. landfills

approximately 1, 369 tons every day. By volume, Styrofoam products fill up to 25 to 30

percent of landfill space around the world. The non-biodegradable nature of the substance

makes it a menace for the environment such as threat to wildlife and marine pollution.

Globally, plastics and Styrofoam has become an icon of waste, a symbol of our

throwaway society, because they are highly visible in daily life. Approximately 8 million

tons of plastic is dumped into the ocean every year. Plastic have become a focus for

source reduction legislation because of the environmental and economic destruction they

break and because the plastics industry has strongly opposed any meaningful regulation

(Romer & Tamminen, 2014).

In addition, litter from plastic has heavily contributed to a huge amount of plastic

debris found in the North Pacific Ocean. This is known as the Great Pacific Garbage

Patch. It is estimated to be double size of Hawaii, and could even be large as the entire

continental US. Wild Studies Institute has reported that as all drains go to ocean, 80% of
 3

this trash in the ocean originated from land. Approximately 100 billion plastic bags are

used in the United States every year, enough to circle 772 times around the globe.

Consequently, in Ghana the rate of waste generation is 0.47 kg/person/day, which

translates into about 12,710 tons of waste per day per the current population of 27 million.

It is estimated that throughout the country only about 10% of solid waste generated are

properly disposed. Hence the solid waste especially plastics and Styrofoam generated by

the residents are never collected for disposal and end up dispersed on the streets, in drains

and in streams thereby creating grounds for disease. The factors that militate against

efficient solid waste management are poor financing capacity of local authorities, low

technical capacity for planning and management of solid waste, weak enforcement of

environmental regulations.

Moreover, the consumption of Egypt on plastic and Styrofoam are unrestrained at

an average of 124 per capita in 2015, equivalent to 12 billion annually. The top five (5)

consumers in Egypt are groceries (25%), fruits and vegetables kiosks (20%), stores and

shops (17%), supermarkets (14%), and fast food and restaurants chains (6%). Typically,

plastic are given away for free by supermarkets and other shops which lead to excess use.

These plastic are littering Egyptian streets and waterways including the Nile, the

Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.

In Southeast Asia, Vietnam now has one of the highest levels of plastic waste in

the world. Vietnamese households use an average of 4% a day of plastic packages sent to

the landfill each week increasing at an alarming state. According to scientists at the

Institute of Management of the Seas and Islands in Vietnam, the country would release
 4

28 to 73 million tons of plastic waste in the ocean each year or 6% of the worldwide’

total volume, and this will increase by 10 million tons each year. In Ho Chi Minh City,

around 250,000 ton of plastic waste and Styrofoam are generated each year, of which

48,000 tons (19.2%) are landfilled while the remaining 200,000 are either recycled or

release directly to the environment. The first effect has a visual impact with beaches

flooded with stranded waste. The second effect less visual but the most important caused

significant mortality in marine mammals and birds dying by strangulation or suffocation

by swallowing plastics.

In Indonesia, plastic waste is a major problem on its hands. According to a study

by the University of Georgia, estimated 3.22 million metric tons of plastic waste is tossed

annually into the ocean surrounding Indonesia. The crisis of plastic waste isn’t just

limited to the ocean, but it has also affected Indonesian rivers. Data from Nature

Communications revealed that four of Indonesia’s rivers- Brantas, Solo, Serayu and

Progo rank among the 20 most polluted rivers in the world. The plastic waste problem

became so drastic especially the plastic bags and Styrofoam. This is probably due to the

fact that plastic products are cheap to produce in the country. The consumers of plastic

combine with the lack of awareness of how damaging plastic waste can be on the

environment are probably among the reasons why Indonesia is facing this predicament.

Similarly, Thailand is one of the main contributors of plastic pollution on a world

scale. Thai people use 70 % of different types of plastic a year. Thailand’s 23 coastal

provinces dumped an estimated one million tons into the sea each year. Plastic bags make

up 15%, Styrofoam for 10%, and plastic straws account for 7%. According to Ministry of
 5

National Resources and environment, more than 270 different marines wildlife die each

year due to ingestion of discarded trash. One standpoint of plastic problem in Thailand is

that citizens are not well educated on what recycling is and how an individual’s actions

can make a difference. Just very few Thai people are concerned of recycling and the vast

majority is not concerned at all in throwing everything in the same bin, regardless of the

harm it can do the environment. Another issue is the little integration between public and

private sectors in waste management. The government directions are not properly

followed by most of the companies operating in the recycling business, resulting in a

deterioration of the situation rather than an improvement. Plastic production is still at

very high levels, despite the Government master plan for the reduction and production

and consumption of plastics. The lack of attention to the subject has led to an open-air,

road-side and empty-lots dumps popping up around the country.

Furthermore, a 2015 report on plastic pollution by the Ocean Conservancy charity

and the McKinsey Centre for Business and Environment ranked the Philippines as the

third-largest source of discarded plastic that ends up in the ocean. Masses of plastic trash

swirling in waterways, garbage clogging drainage canals and huge stinking dump sites

are among the most visible manifestations of the waste crisis in the Philippines (Vila,

2018).

The Philippines generates an estimated 43, 684 tons of garbage daily, including 4,

609 made from the non-biodegradable materials such as plastic bags, Styrofoam and

while about half of plastic items were collected from the oceans. According to Froilan

Grate, executive director of the Philippines branch of the Global Alliance for Incinerator
 6

Alternatives, an absence of garbage collection services in secondary cities and many of

the country’s smaller islands is largely to blame for the overwhelming amount of marine

plastic coming from the country.

In fact, Palawan is facing plastic problem. El Nido’s 4.3-hectare landfill in

Barangay La Libertad has been feeling the negative impact of the influx of tourists and

uncontrolled development. Data from El Nido municipal government showed that before

2014, the town collected almost 10 tons of garbage per day. Now, volume of garbage

collection reaches almost 22 tons a day. Rex Dadule of El Nido’s municipal environment

office is surprised with the increase in the number of tourists and establishments and the

volume of garbage. Local officials said they encouraged residents and businesses to build

composts for biodegradable wastes – which account for 50% of the town’s garbage

collection particularly in the town proper where most establishments are located. Data

from the municipal planning office, however, showed that only 3% of the households

practice composting in El Nido.

Similarly, the city officials of Tondo Manila, blames the slum’s residents for

using the creek as an open air-dump and have installed massive strainers in the water that

keeps the trash from flowing downstream into the Pasig River. According to Lorenzo

Alconera, an official with the city engineering department said that the residents are

turning the creeks into a trash can. Trash that makes in into the river can then swept out

into the South China Sea or be sucked back tides into the Laguna de Bay, the country’s

largest lake. Authorities say the trash-choked creek is a breeding ground for preventable

illnesses like cholera and typhoid fever.

 7

Also, the province of Pangasinan has facing plastic bags problem and cuts down

on use of plastic bags as flood prevention measure and to protect its environment. The

provincial government of Pangasinan has collected a total of 14,523 kilograms of plastic

wastes that results into massive flood. The consumers are very irresponsible in disposing

of plastic bags that end up dispersed on the streets, in drains and in streams that causes

floods. They even refuse to use an alternative ways such as using paper bags or “bayong”

in order to prevent the use of plastic bags.

As embodied in the 1987 Philippine Constitution under Article II, Sec. 16 states

that “the state shall protect and advance the right of the people to a balanced and healthful

ecology in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature. Consequently, the need for an

environmental protection program to prevent further injury and or damage to plant and

animal life and property and more important to protect human life, health and safety”.

In response to this, a solution was presented in the form of the Republic Act 9003,

also known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. The law, considered

landmark legislation on environmental management, mandated city and municipal

governments to organize and sustainably manage the collection and disposal of solid

waste. It also directed the closure of open dump sites and created the National Solid

Waste Management Commission to oversee the law’s implementation. It also mandates

that every villages or cluster villages must set up a material recovery facility (MRF)

where recyclable materials is recycled or sold to junkshops.

According to Von Hernandez, one of the Philippines most influential

environmental activists and the global coordinator of the Break Free from Plastic
 8

movement, says that despite RA 9003 often being regarded as model legislation for other

countries, and that it clearly spells out solutions, implementation has been a challenge

because funds remarked for waste disposal are vulnerable to corruption, and local

governments lack the political will on the part of local leaders as well as a lack of

discipline regarding proper garbage disposal on the part of the public. Environmental

group also stated that government could do much more to curb the country’s garbage

problem, especially by pressuring Western multinational companies to reduce their

production of plastic materials that find its way to into Philippine seas and coastlines.

In addition, Philippines also enacted an environmental law that would minimize

solid wastes which is the Republic Act 6969 or the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and

Nuclear Waste Control Act of 1990. The law prohibits the processing, use and disposal of

chemical substances and mixtures that present unreasonable risk and or injury to health or

the environment and to prevent chemicals and plastics from spilling into the oceans.

Unfortunately, the environmental advocacy group EcoWaste Coalition called on

the government to prohibit the entry of imported garbage and illegal shipment of

household waste such as plastic bags, Styrofoam and among others that these items are

considered hazardous wastes to Philippine shores in light of the Canadian and South

Korean garbage controversy these past few years.

Likewise, the Republic Act of 9275 or Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004: Sec

27 prohibits the discharging, depositing or causing to be deposited material of any kind

directly or indirectly into the water bodies or along the margins of any surface water,

where the same shall be liable to be washed into the surface of water, either by tide of
 9

storm, floods or otherwise, which could cause water pollution or impede natural flow in

the water body.

In line with this, plastics and Styrofoam has a negative impact on the environment

especially on different bodies of water such as canals, rivers and other waterways.

Unfortunately, most of these non-biodegradable materials end up in the open seas. Illegal

disposal of plastic waste can cause flashfloods due to clogged waterways and drainage

systems and can killed marine wildlife through ingestion. Floodwaters can also cause by

plastics can bring a myriad of health risks and pose a threat to the safety and well-being

of the people.

Similarly, Republic Act 9003, Section 48, states that the open burning of solid

waste is among the prohibited acts in the country’s ecological solid waste management.

Also the Clean Air Act of 1999 (Republic Act No. 8749) outlines the government’s

measures to reduce air pollution and incorporate environmental protection into its

development plans. These two different laws will also help in sustaining and managing

the natural resources.

According to the journal of scientists Plos One, Plastics contribute to Global

Warming. Plastic represents a source of climate-relevant trace gases that is expected to

increase as more plastic is produced and accumulated in the environment. Plastic is a

petroleum-based material, and when burned it’s like any other fossil fuel; it releases

climate pollution that turn leads to rising sea levels, increased ocean and air toxicity.

In response to this, Ordinance No. 2014 – 03 was enacted by the Sangguniang

Panlungsod of San Fernando City, La Union to regulate the use of plastic and Styrofoam
 10

in the city and to provide penalties for violation. The researchers will conduct their study

in tertiary schools of the city of San Fernando and according to NDRRMC report year

2012 it is one of the most flooded area in the province. And according to Celso Jucutan,

a professor of Environmental Management and the adviser of the Youth Earth Savers

Society, it is estimated that minimum of 48, 000 single use plastic bags are taken home

by consumers each day and that is more than 17, 280, 000 single use plastic bags. A large

portion of this plastic wastes makes its way to residential canals, clogging it and

becoming one of the causes of city floods during the rainy seasons. The level of

implementation of City Environmental Natural Resources Office of the plastic and

Styrofoam regulation ordinance with the help of school administration in the extent of

compliance of the school canteen vendors helps to reduce the plastic waste in the city.

The ordinance prohibits peddling of plastic bags, providing plastic bags and Styrofoam as

secondary packaging for wet goods and food items, providing plastic bags as primary

packaging materials for dry goods, except those pack by manufacturers, using plastic

straws from soft drinks and juice drinks from bottles and vendo machines, except those

pack by manufacturers, and using plastic disposable utensils and plates and Styrofoam for

container for dine-in purposes. Business establishments violating any of the provisions

of the Ordinance shall be imposed a fine of Five Thousand Pesos (Php5, 000.00) for

every violation and any inspection. The use of cloth bags, tote bags, woven bags, reusable

bags and recyclable paper bags and paper straw and other similar materials is strongly

encouraged.
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This study is highly significant in the Local Government Unit of San Fernando

City in the enhancement of programs that will promote the political engagement of the

citizens in order for them to responsible to their obligations and to be more productive in

to the community. Even though the Philippine government has now trying to eliminate

the use of plastic product but lack of enforcement is one of the most problems within the

institution. Second, this study will be very valuable to the pollution control officers to

define the problems confronting the consumers that need to be addressed. It is also

significant in the field of political science that can create an impact by preventing

environmental pollution and involvement in the political and public affairs of the citizens

in addressing the environmental problem. Third, this study can be an eye opener to the

society that they should comply into the implemented ordinances without expecting

anything in return. Lastly, this study is significant to the researchers because it will help

the citizens of San Fernando to be more responsible with their obligations. This study

helps in removing the stigma of individuals that their perceptions and practices might not

affect the implementation of the ordinance. Also, it promotes the involvement of the

citizens in the political and public affairs or decisions especially environmental problems

that affects their way of living within the society.

Framework of the Study

The researchers have adopted several theories to support the study regarding the

implementation and compliance to the plastic and Styrofoam regulation ordinance. To

further discuss the basis of this study, the following theories will be use; the theory of
 12

change, theory of citizen participation, theory of constraints, conflict theory,

utilitarianism theory, rational choice theory and structural functionalist theory.

To begin with, the Theory of Change of Patricia Rogers (2009) explains how

activities are understood to produce a series of results that contribute to achieving the

final intended impacts. It can be developed for any level of intervention – an event, a

project, a program, a policy, a strategy or an organization. It is focused in particular on

mapping out or “filling in” what has been described as the “missing middle” between

what a programs or change initiative does (its activities or interventions) and how these

lead to desired goals being achieved. The Outcomes Framework then provides the basis

for identifying what type of activity or intervention will lead to the outcomes identified as

preconditions for achieving the long-term goal. Through this approach the precise link

between activities and the achievement of the long-term goals are more fully understood.

This leads to better planning in that activity 1ies are linked to a detailed understanding of

how change actually happens. It also leads to better evaluation, as it is possible to

measure progress towards the achievement of longer-term goals that goes beyond the

identification of program outputs.

The Theory of Change supports this study because the implementation of the

plastic and Styrofoam regulation aims for the change or progress of the ordinance. It

studies how the respondents comply into the policy being implemented that such a

change will lead to a desired goal. In this regard, it is important that all policy being

implemented has a positive effect on the society.

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Consequently, the Theory of Citizen Participation of Cogan and Sharpe (1986)

explain that Citizen Participation is a process which provides private individuals an

opportunity to influence public decisions. The term "citizen participation" and its

relationship to public decision-making have evolved without a general consensus

regarding either its meaning or its consequences.

As a support, citizen participation corresponds to public participation as it

involves people who have a stake in the issue. The "public" in public participation refers

to people. It is the individuals who have an interest in or will likely be affected, either

positively or negatively, by a decision to be made. Public participation is a process where

each contributor gains a better understanding of both the issue(s) and how other

participants see the issue(s). It is an opportunity for participants to share their facts,

experiences, knowledge, ideas, preferences, hopes, fears, opinions, and values. It is a

process through which everyone's energy is combined to produce a better outcome. This

is effective when each participant not only the administration considers his or her own

position and interests but also listens to understand those of others. Public participation is

most successful when it is well planned, well timed, competently staffed, and has

sufficient resources.

Theory of Citizen Participation supports this study because the implementation of

the plastic and Styrofoam regulation aims also for the cooperation of each individual to

the implemented ordinance. It studies how the respondents support the planning decisions

and comply with the ordinance that has been implemented that such participation has a

high impact in achieving the desired goals.

 14

In addition, the Theory of Constraints of Suerken, (1999) is an internationally

recognized systems approach to continuous improvements that allow man to answer three

questions; what to change; to what to change; and how to cause the change. The Theory

of Constraints thinking methods use cause and effect logic to analyze information so that

mean can identify problems where and when they start. Therefore, instead of addressing

symptoms, he instead focuses on his time and attention removing the core problem.

When community people apply this cause and effect to their behavior, they learn to

clearly verbalize consequences of their actions so that they can begin to make more

responsible choices.

The theory of constraints supports the study in preparing the individual in

committing themselves to the rules and regulations of the ordinance. It tends to figure out

the specific cause of the problem in order to make the change. This theory helps the

implementers to administer the problems about plastic and Styrofoam pollutions with

solutions that will help in achieving the desired common good.

Another theory related to the study, Conflict Theory of Karl Marx claims society

is in a state of perpetual conflict because of competition for limited resources. It holds

that social order maintained by domination power, rather than consensus and conformity.

Conflict theory explains that those with wealth and power try to hold on to it by any

means possible, chiefly by suppressing the poor and powerless. A basic premise of

conflict theory is that individuals and groups within a society work to maximize their

own benefits. The uneven distribution within the conflict theory was predicted to be

maintained through ideological coercion goes to the elite would set up system of laws,
 15

traditions and other societal structures in order to further support their own dominance

while preventing others from joining their ranks. Marx further believed that as the

working class and poor were subjected to worsening conditions, a collective

consciousness would bring the inequality to light and potentially result in revolt. If

conditions were subsequently adjusted to address the concerns of the working class or

poor, the conflict circle would be eventually repeated.

The conflict theory supports the idea of this study that the consumers would not

fully comply in the implemented ordinance since the production of plastics is not fully

controlled with the given total of plastics that will be produce. For the reason that even

the LGUs or pollution control officers would not fully implement the ordinance because

they lack of accountability and the fund remarks to the waste disposal is vulnerable to

corruption which leads to temptation that they will use their power in order to support

their personal interest rather than the common good. Community then will seek equal

footing of power with those who has the authority which turn conflict into the society.

Furthermore, Utilitarian Theory of John Stuart Mill (1864) also known as

Utilitarianism is a normative ethical theory based on the principle that “actions are right

in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the

reverse of happiness of choosing one action or policy over other actions or policies. As

such, it moves beyond the scope of one’s own interests and takes into account the

interests of others. Mill defines happiness as a pleasure and the absence of pain and that

people’s achievement of goals and ends, such as virtuous living, should be counted as

part of their happiness. Mill argues that happiness is the sole basis of morality and the
 16

people never desire anything but happiness. It is also the most common approach to

moral reasoning used in business because of the way in which it accounts for costs and

benefits.

In line with the study, it states that the consumers are obliged to comply into the

implemented ordinance. Consumers then will become interested to the ordinance if there

is a benefit in exchange to the service that they made to achieve the desired goal of the

ordinance. Consumers must anticipate the outcome of the actions they chose in order to

satisfy their own way of happiness.

Similarly, Rational Choice Theory of Russel Huebsch (2009) is used to model

human decision making, especially in the context microeconomics where it helps

economists better understand the behavior of a society in terms of individual actions as

explained through rationality, in which choices are consistent because they are made

according to personal preference. Rational choice theory states that when an actor is

presented with two choices, the rational actor will always choose the one that achieves

their goals or preferences. Rational actors make choices that are tied to goals, measured

and consistent and motivated by money. Actors act on the basis of the information that

they have about the conditions under which they are acting and it is not possible for

individuals to achieve all of the various things that they want. Rational individuals choose

the alternative that is likely to give them the greatest satisfaction.

The rational choice theory supports this study in explaining the human behavior in

dealing with the environmental problems, whether individual would support or not to

comply with the implemented ordinance. For the reason that consumers will comply if
 17

there are benefits that will be produce in exchange of what they do. This is one of the

main causes why individuals do not comply because they think that it will not affect their

satisfaction which they aim only for their personal interest. With this, individuals must

anticipate the outcomes of alternative courses of actions they made.

Lastly, the structural functionalism theory of Herbert Spencer (1898) sees society

as a structure with interrelated parts designed to meet the social needs of the individuals

in the society. Spencer states that various parts of society work together to keep society

functioning. Functionalism interprets each part of society in terms of how it contributes to

the stability of the whole society. Society is more than the sum of its parts; rather, each

part of society is functional for the stability of the whole. On the other hand, Durkheim

envisioned society as an organism, and just like organism, each component plays a

necessary part, but none can function alone, and one experiences a crisis or fails, other

part must adapt to fill the void in some way. Within functionalist theory, the different

parts of society are primarily composed of social institutions, and each of which is

designed to fill different need and has particular consequences for the form and shape of

society. Functionalism also states that institution only exists because it serves a vital role

in the functioning of the society.

The structural functionalist theory supports the study which social institutions

must work together for the common good. The implementation of plastic and Styrofoam

regulation ordinance is supported by the environmental institution which is the

Department of Environmental Natural Resources (DENR) that seeks to maintain

cleanliness and to prolong the natural resources. This ordinance is also supported by the
 18

local government of San Fernando in implementing the ordinance through posters,

seminars and social media. The City of Environment and Natural Resources Office

(CENRO) enforce the ordinance and regularly inspected the consuming and distributing

of the plastic bags. The ordinance is also supported by the Lupon ng mga Indibidual na

Nangangalaga sa Kalikasan (LINK) and barangay associations. For the reason that,

different institutions must fulfill each other’s part in order to achieved common good.

The research paradigm provides a comprehensive plan that sets of clear direction

of the study. The questions and the processes to answer the questions and the output can

be derived from the study that are found on the paradigm. Figure 1, shows the input,

process and the output of the study.

First input, the level of implementation of City Environment and Natural

Resources Office and the school administrations to the Plastic and Styrofoam Regulation

Ordinance in terms of plastic bags, Styrofoam plastic utensils and plates, and Straws. The

second input is the extent of compliance of the school canteen vendors to the Plastic and

Styrofoam Regulation Ordinance in terms of plastic bags, Styrofoam plastic utensils and

plates, and Straws. Third input is the significant relationship between the implementation

and compliance of Plastic and Styrofoam Regulation Ordinance.

The first process involves the analysis of level of implementation of Plastic and

Styrofoam Regulation Ordinance of City Environmental and Natural Resources and

school administration and the extent of compliance of the school canteen vendors to the

Plastic and Styrofoam Regulation Ordinance. Next is the significant relationship between

the implementation and the compliance of Plastic and Styrofoam Regulation Ordinance.
 19

The output of the study is a proposed improvement of the Plastic and Styrofoam

Regulation Ordinance.

INPUT
I. The level of
implementation of Plastic
and Styrofoam Regulation
Ordinance as perceived by
the City Environment and
Natural Resources Office
(CENRO) and School
Administration along with:
a. Plastic bags
b. Styrofoam
c. Plastic utensils and
plates
d. Straws
II. The extent of
compliance of Plastic and
Styrofoam Regulation
Ordinance as perceived by
the School Canteens along
with:
a. Plastic bags
b. Styrofoam
c. Plastic utensils and
plates
d. Straws
III. The significant
relationship between the
level implementation and
compliance of Plastic and
Styrofoam Regulation
Ordinance.
Figure 1. Paradigm of the Study
20
PROCESS OUTPUT
I. Analysis of:
a. The level of
implementation of
Plastic and Styrofoam
Regulation Ordinance
as perceived by the
City Environment and
Natural Resources
Office (CENRO) and
School Administration
along with:
a.1 Plastic bags
a.2Styrofoam
a.3Plastic utensils
and plates
a.4Straws
b. The extent of
compliance of Plastic
and Styrofoam
Improvement of
Regulation Ordinance Plastic and
as perceived by the
School Canteens along Styrofoam
with:
Regulation Ordinance
b.1 Plastic bags
b.2 Styrofoam
b.3 Plastic utensils
and plates
b.4 Straws
3. The significant
relationship between the
implementation and
compliance of Plastic and
Styrofoam Regulation
Ordinance.
II. Formulation of
Improvement
FEEDBACK
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Statement of the Problem

This study will determine the implementation and compliance of Plastic and

Styrofoam Regulation Ordinance No. 2014-03 in San Fernando, La Union. It specifically

seeks to answer the following questions:

1. What is the level of implementation of Plastic and Styrofoam Regulation

Ordinance as perceived by the City Environment and Natural Resources Office

(CENRO) and School Administration along with:

a. Plastic bags

b. Styrofoam

c. Plastic utensils and plates

d. Straws

2. What is the extent of compliance of Plastic and Styrofoam Regulation Ordinance

as perceived by the School Canteens along with:

a. Plastic bags

b. Styrofoam

c. Plastic utensils and plates

d. Straws

3. What is the significant relationship between the implementation and compliance

of Plastic and Styrofoam Regulation Ordinance?

4. What can be proposed to improve the implementation and compliance of Plastic

and Styrofoam Regulation Ordinance?

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Definition of Terms
The following terms are operationally defined for the better understanding of the

study.

Implementation refers on how great is the process of putting the Plastic and

Styrofoam Regulation Ordinance No.2014-03 of the City of San Fernando into effect.

Compliance refers to the process of complying with a desire or demand of the

ordinance.

Ordinance No. 2014-03 refers to the plastic and Styrofoam regulation ordinance
of the City of San Fernando La Union.

Regulation refers as law, rule, or order prescribed by authority, especially to

regulate the use of plastic bag and Styrofoam.

Plastic refers to a synthetic material made from a wide range of organic polymers

such as polyethylene, etc., that can be molded into shape while soft and then set into

slightly elastic form.

Styrofoam is a type of polystyrene foam that is light yet strong and it is often used

to make take-out food containers and packing materials.

Plastic bags refer to the plastic bag carrier which is designed for the general

purpose of carrying goods purchased by consumers.

Plastic utensils refer to a tool that is used in a kitchen.

Plastic straws refer to a tube for sucking up of soft drinks and juice drinks from

bottles.
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Dry goods shall refer to any product that does not require refrigeration or freezing

to maintain.

Plastic drinking straw shall refer to a thin tube of plastic, straight or with an

angle- adjustable bellows segment, employed by being held with one end in the mouth

and another end in the drink.

Primary packaging material shall refer to those types of packaging for containing

wet product, snack foods, frozen foods, and other similar products.

Retailing/Peddling shall refer to selling “sand” bags, etc. per piece.

Secondary/Multi-packaging shall refer to those types of packaging materials for

wet goods to provide support to any primary and intended for convenience of the handler,

as well.

Wet goods shall refer to any product that requires refrigeration or freezing to

maintain freshness, such as cooked foods and fruits in eateries.