MANILA: A nationwide cleanup with over 103,000 participants has cleared 369 coastal areas of more than 466,000 kilograms of waste, according to a statement issued on Sunday by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
That was the result of the Philippines’ participation last Saturday in this year’s International Coastal Cleanup, an activity nearly matching last year’s waste recovery level.
Last year’s nationwide cleanup mobilised more than 104,000 volunteers and collected more than 466,000 kilograms of solid waste.
The activity brought together other national government agencies, local government units, communities, businesses, schools, civic groups, and other organisations to remove marine litter and document the waste from coastal areas, including waterways.
It was spearheaded by the DENR National Capital Region, Biodiversity Management Bureau, Environmental Management Bureau, and Manila Bay Coordinating Office, in partnership with DENR regional offices.
In Metro Manila, more than 36,000 participants joined cleanup activities at 11 sites: Baseco Beach, Manila Bay Dolomite Beach, Manila Ocean Park, Pasig River in Barangay 836, Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park, SM by the Bay, Tanza Marine Tree Park, Bagumbayan North, Marikina River, Solaire Coast and ASEANA Business Park.
Among the waste collected were food wrappers, paper and plastic cups and plates, polystyrene foam (commonly referred to as styrofoam) food containers, and straws and stirrers.
According to the DENR statement, the waste was weighed, sorted, and recorded by type — generating data that can help identify marine litter patterns and guide waste-management activities in areas where they are most needed.
“Our understanding of solid waste management has evolved over the years. But regardless of how many ‘Rs’ we add to the framework of reuse, reduce, and recycle, there is one ‘R’ that makes all the others possible: this is our responsibility,” Environment Secretary Juan Miguel “Mitch” T. Cuna said in his message for the ICC.
“Responsibility transforms policies into practice. It turns technology into solutions. And it turns individual actions into national progress,” he added.
The ICC also highlighted the role of the private sector in recovering an increasing share of the plastic packaging they introduce into the market.
The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act of 2022, or Republic Act No. 11898, requires large enterprises, or Obliged Enterprises, to participate in the cleanup so that they can practise corporate responsibility in actual ground conditions.
According to Cuna, stronger systems must be matched by changes in everyday behaviour.
“It begins with simple choices to refuse what we do not need, to segregate waste properly, to reuse what we can, and to dispose of what remains responsibly. When millions of Filipinos make responsible choices every day, we create lasting change,” he said.
The activity took place as the government started strengthening the country’s solid waste management system.
As the DENR statement pointed out, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made a call in his 2026 State of the Nation Address to update the 25-year-old Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, or Republic Act No. 9003, to align it with modern waste management practices and technologies, including waste-to-energy and waste-treatment technologies.
“This presents an important opportunity to strengthen our waste management system from segregation and collection to recycling, resource recovery, treatment, and environmentally sound disposal,” Cuna said.
As the DENR stated, the direction is not simply to collect more waste, but to prevent waste from becoming pollution and to recover resources that can still be used.
“So today, as we clean our shores, let us also renew our commitment to prevent waste before it becomes pollution, recover resources instead of discarding them, and make responsible waste management a way of life,” Cuna said. - Inquirer/ANN
