The local government of Malay, Aklan is enforcing an ordinance prohibiting single-use plastics when Boracay Island reopens in October. Municipal Ordinance No. 386 prohibits hotels, resorts, other accommodation establishments, and restaurants from using single-use plastics. Single-use plastics – bags, cups, straws, styrofoam food containers, and cutlery, among others – frequently do not make it to a landfill or are recycled. It is estimated that four trillion plastic bags are used worldwide annually and only one percent of plastic bags are returned for recycling, according to the Earth Day Network. Plastic straws are among the top 10 waste items found on beaches.

A significant step for Boracay. (2018, September 7). Panay News, p. 8.