More than 4,500 sacks of garbage have been collected during the cleanup of Manila Baywalk Dolomite Beach during the observance of the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day 2022 last Sept. 17, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said.
The DENR said more than 4,000 volunteers have taken part in the cleanup of the 500-meter beach.
DENR-Metropolitan Environmental Office (MEO) West OIC Director Rodelina de Villa said the collected garbages consisted mostly of plastic wastes, dried water hyacinth, and marine debris.
“Volunteers from government, private organizations, and private individuals came to the Baywalk’s coastline with their own garbage bags as well,” she said in a statement released, Friday, Sept. 30.
She said that the DENR Central Office provided 3,000 of the 4,500 sacks through the Manila Bay Coordinating Office (MBCO), while the DENR-National Capital Region, which includes the DENR-MEO West, supplied 1,500 trash bags.
Additional trash bags were obtained from participating national and local government agencies as well as private organizations, including the Manila City government, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, the Philippine Army, the Philippine Air Force, the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Philippine National Police-Maritime Group, and the Philippine Coast Guard.
According to the DENR, Maynilad Water Services Inc., Manila Water Company Inc., and the Dragon Boat Federation of the Philippines also participated in the event.
De Villa said the Manila Baywalk exemplifies the collaboration required among all sectors to address coastal litter through targeted beach cleanup activities.
“However big and daunting the task is, we can make a difference by bringing communities and people together to clean up beaches. Proof of this are organizations and individuals coming together at the Baywalk Dolomite Beach.”
Based on the data of the DENR-MEO-West, a total of 147,939 sacks of solid waste have been collected in cleanup activities held from July 12 to Sept. 14.