
Global non-profit organization The Ocean Cleanup has officially reached the shores of the Philippines with its groundbreaking 30 Cities Program, marking a major milestone in the country’s fight against ocean-bound plastic pollution.
Manila joins major global cities such as Los Angeles, Mumbai, and Panama City as part of the program’s initial rollout, planned to start in 2026. The initiative will focus on the waterways that feed into the Manila Bay, wherein over 90% of collected waste from the area is reportedly composed of hard and film plastics, according to a study done by EcoWaste Coalition, KOICA, DENR, and De La Salle University-Dasmarinas.
The 30 Cities Program is an initiative to accelerate the organization’s efforts to intercept and remove ocean-bound plastic pollution across 30 key cities in Asia and the Americas, aiming to eliminate up to one-third of all plastic flowing from the world’s rivers into the ocean before the end of the decade.
The environmental organization estimates that 1,000 rivers are accountable for nearly 80% of global annual river plastic emissions, which range between 0.8 – 2.7 million metric tons per year, with small urban rivers amongst the most polluting. The remaining 20% of plastic emissions are distributed over 30,000 rivers across the globe.
According to the World Bank, the Philippines is reportedly among the top contributors of ocean plastic waste, with an estimated 0.75 million metric tons of mismanaged plastic entering the ocean every year.
Working together with government leaders, private corporations, and the scientific community, The Ocean Cleanup utilizes its portfolio of Interceptor solutions, ranging from heavy-duty trash traps to autonomous solar-powered systems that are designed to capture plastic directly from rivers before it reaches the ocean. In the Philippines, the organization has been working to set up collaborations with several national and city government agencies, the private sector, and intergovernmental organizations with the goal of kicking off its first projects this year.






























































