THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) called for more collaboration among all sectors to address coastal litter through targeted beach cleanup activities.

Director Rodelina de Villa, Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of DENR-Metropolitan Environmental Office (MEO) West, made the appeal during the recent cleanup drive at the Manila Baywalk Dolomite Beach, wherein 4,500 sacks of garbage were collected.

The cleanup activity, which was participated by over 4,000 volunteers, was in celebration of the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day 2022.

De Villa commended the volunteers who joined the activity but said, “there is still a big and daunting task that needs support from communities.”

“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,” de Villa said.

The event with the theme “Fighting for Trash Free Seas-Pilipinas: Ending the Flow of Trash at the Source,” is one of eight DENR-led cleanup activities in Metro Manila in observance of ICC Day, which is held annually every third Saturday of September.

De Villa disclosed that the collected garbage mainly consisted of plastic wastes, dried water hyacinths, and marine debris.

“Volunteers from government, private organizations, and private individuals came to the Baywalk’s coastline with their own garbage bags as well,” de Villa said.

She said that 3,000 of the 4,500 sacks were provided by the DENR Central Office through the Manila Bay Coordinating Office (MBCO), while 1,500 trash bags came from the DENR-National Capital Region, including the DENR-MEO West.

Additional trash bags were sourced from participating national and local government agencies and private organizations, which include the Manila City government, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Philippine Army (PA), Philippine Air Force (PAF), Philippine National Police (PNP), PNP-Maritime Group, and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

The Maynilad Water Services Inc., Manila Water Company Inc., and the Dragon Boat Federation of the Philippines also participated in the event.

Data from the DENR-MEO-West, whose task is to oversee the maintenance of the 500-meter beach walk, has shown that 147,939 sacks of solid waste have been collected in cleanup activities held from July 12 to September 14.

During the period, a total of 83,109 sacks of water hyacinth were also collected, including 2,224 sacks of marine debris.