Supreme Court bans single-use plastic in its offices

SINGLE-USE plastic products are now banned at the Supreme Court (SC) offices in line with the country’s waste management campaign. Deputy Clerk of Court and Chief Administrative Officer Maria Carina M. Cunanan issued a memorandum dated February 28, saying the court is “adopting the solid waste avoidance and waste management strategy of the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC).” The memorandum is addressed only to all heads of the SC offices and does not include all courts in the country. Under NSWMC Resolution No. 1363-2020, “plastic cups (lower than 0.2 mm in thickness), plastic drinking straws, plastic coffee stirrers, plastic spoons, plastic forks, plastic knives, and plastic labo and thin-filmed sando bags (lower than 15 microns)” are the items considered unnecessary single-use plastic. The SC, in a statement, said the policy is also in line with the court’s plans of sustainability. The SC announced in October last year that it will have the Manila Hall of Justice as the “first green courthouse in the Philippines” by 2022. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas