According to the Solid Waste Management Association of the Philippines (SWAPP), a non-profit membership organization composed of solid waste

practitioners from Local Government Units, National Government Agencies, Non government organizations, and the Academe, plastics recycling industry is experiencing a problem because of regulation by local government units. As of January 2012, seven cities in Metro Manila banned the use of plastic bags for certain types of goods and Styrofoam food packaging. Although Styrofoam and plastic bags are recyclable, most of it end up in disposable facilities or discarded in water ways, bodies of water and open spaces. They also have low economic value which is also a disincentive for recovery by informal waste sector and junkshops. The result of such ban is the shift to paper containers, bags and other alternative materials. One of the responses of the industry is the recovery of use of plastics, including Styrofoam. The Philippine Plastics Industry Association (PPIA) and the Polystyrene Packaging Council of the Philippines (PPCP) advertised that it will collect and purchase a minimum of 500 kilograms of consolidated plastic wastes material from Metro Manila. This consolidated plastic waste is a combination of different kinds of plastics, including Polystyrene or most commonly known as Styrofoam. The Polystyrene Packaging Council of the Philippines (PPCP), a non-profit, non-stock corporation, whose mission is to serve as a forum for issues of importance to the polystyrene industry, has also embarked the recovery of the use of plastics. They created a program that will encourage partner institutions to put drop-off bins for polystyrene and plastic bag wastes, of which will cover only Metro Manila and nearby cities. However, while

some institutions wanted to recover the use of these non-biodegradable plastics, others have shifted to manufacture of biodegradable plastics. This development complicates recovery and recycling of non-biodegradable plastic because use of the latter in recycling will result to lower quality products. As opposed to these regulations and changes in the plastic industry, it cannot be denied that solid waste is still a problem. A study was conducted by Eileen C. Bernardo, a researcher from Department of Environmental Science and Management, Isabela State University in 2008. Results showed that the households (in Metro Manila) generated an average of 3.2 kg of solid waste per day, or 0.50 kg/capita/day. The households only rely on garbage collection by the government. However, there are those who dump their garbage in nondesignated pick-up points, usually in a corner of the street. The results of the study showed that RA 9003, also known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, is not fully implemented in Metro Manila. In connection to these issues, a proper solid waste management, including, particularly, recycling companies or institutions still necessary for the development of a sustainable environment.