Over 103,000 people across all 17 regions joined this year’s International Coastal Cleanup, collecting more than 466,000 kg of waste from 369 coastal, river and underwater sites. Turnout and recovery nearly matched 2025 levels, reflecting steady public backing for marine litter prevention and sound waste management.
Led by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the effort brought together agencies, LGUs, schools, businesses and communities to remove and document waste. DENR Secretary Juan Miguel T. Cuna framed responsibility as the core principle: “It transforms policies into practice, technology into solutions, and individual actions into national progress.”
Metro Manila fielded 36,000 volunteers at 11 sites including Baseco Beach, Dolomite Beach, Pasig River and Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park. Most finds were food wrappers, disposables, styrofoam containers and single-use plastics. Data from sorted, weighed waste will pinpoint pollution patterns and target interventions.
The cleanup also highlighted the Extended Producer Responsibility Act of 2022, mandating large firms to recover rising shares of their plastic packaging. Business participation links corporate compliance directly to field realities.
Cuna stressed stronger systems must pair with daily action — refusing excess, segregating properly, reusing and disposing responsibly. Collective small choices build lasting change, he said.
This aligns with government plans to update the 25-year-old Solid Waste Management Act, as President Marcos Jr. noted in his 2026 SONA. Modernization would add waste-to-energy and advanced treatment, strengthening the full chain from collection to safe disposal. DENR’s focus: prevent waste before it pollutes and recover usable resources.
The event was led by DENR-NCR and bureaus with regional and local partners. Last year saw 104,000 volunteers and nearly identical totals. High participation matters, but true progress means less waste reaching waterways to begin with.
