Tayabas City bans single-use plastics in government buildings

By Rowena Cruz City employees attend an orientation session on the new regulations at the New Tayabas City Hall on February 6, 2025. (Tayaba...

By Rowena Cruz

City employees attend an orientation session on the new regulations at the New Tayabas City Hall on February 6, 2025. (Tayabas CICRO)

TAYABAS CITY, Quezon – Following the lead of other cities and municipalities in Quezon Province, Tayabas City banned single-use plastics and styrofoam containers in government buildings yesterday, Monday, February 10, 2025. This action supports the city's ongoing efforts to promote environmental sustainability.

In an online post, Tayabas City announced that the ban will be effective after the publication of City Ordinance No. 17-01: Regulating the Use of Plastic Bags and Expanded Polystyrene (styrofoam) Food Containers in Tayabas City. The announcement detailed the affected city-owned buildings, offices, and facilities.



To ensure a smooth transition, city employees recently attended an orientation on Executive Order 009, series of 2025, which enforces City Ordinance No. 17-01. The session, held at the New Tayabas City Hall on February 6, 2025, covered the penalties for violations and emphasized the importance of waste reduction and segregation.

The initiative, prohibiting plastic bags and styrofoam food containers, affects all city-owned buildings, offices, and facilities, including the New Tayabas City Hall in Barangay Baguio, the Old Municipal Hall on J.P. Rizal Street, the Municipal Hall Annex Building, the Lupa Compound in Muntingbayan, Colegio de la Ciudad de Tayabas, and all other buildings and offices under the local government's jurisdiction.

The ban serves as a precursor to the stricter enforcement of a city-wide ordinance prohibiting the use of these materials, slated for June 2025. The city is implementing the ban in government offices first to set an example and allow residents and businesses ample time to transition to eco-friendly alternatives.

To facilitate this transition, city officials are calling for public cooperation, particularly from vendors of packaging materials. They are encouraging vendors to deplete their remaining stocks of single-use plastics and styrofoam and switch to eco-friendly options. City officials appreciate community support and believe the ban is crucial for reducing plastic waste and creating a healthier environment.

In 2024, a "Palit-Bigas" project collected 9,134 kilograms of plastic waste, demonstrating the city's commitment to reducing plastic consumption through this initiative, which began in 2020 and has become a key part of the city's waste reduction strategy.

While the Philippines is still developing comprehensive national legislation to address plastic waste, and Quezon Province lacks a unified policy, Tayabas City is taking a proactive approach with this ban. Several towns in Quezon, including Lucena City, Sariaya, Tiaong, and Perez, are already implementing similar ordinances.