April 20, 2023, Manila, Philippines: Plastic waste is seen floating throughout the San Juan River.
A recent 2024 Marine Debris Monitoring Report released by Philippine environmental groups reveals that hard plastics and plastic film account for a staggering 91% of trash collected along Manila Bay’s coastline. While the overall volume of marine debris decreased by 36% and weight dropped by 42% between 2023 and 2024, litter quantities surged by 16% during the rainy season compared to the dry season, underscoring the persistent severity of plastic pollution in the region.
June 3, 2025, Manila Bay, Philippines: A boatman paddles a wooden boat along a shoreline littered with garbage.
June 3, 2025, Manila Bay, Philippines: A local resident collects water along a shoreline littered with garbage.
Major rivers flowing through Manila, such as the Pasig River, are the main sources of plastic waste. According to Lianhe Zaobao, the Pasig River has been ranked among the most plastic-polluted rivers in the world, with an increasingly worsening flow of pollutants into Manila Bay. Environmental groups note that widespread use of single-use plastics in the region not only leads to massive amounts of plastic waste entering the ocean but also damages coastal ecosystems.
Quezon City, Philippines: Various goods wrapped in plastic packaging are sold at a local wet market.
As early as 2023, a report by Oxford University’s Our World in Data identified the Philippines as the world’s largest ocean polluter, contributing one-third of the ocean plastics that originate from rivers in Asia. Widespread poverty has led to a sachet economy, with the country consuming an estimated 163 million small plastic bags every day, further intensifying marine plastic pollution. These plastics accumulate on land, clog coastlines, and eventually make their way into the ocean, even reaching remote corners of the globe.
A “River Warrior” collects plastic waste from the San Juan River.
April 15, 2023, Caloocan, Philippines: A creek is clogged with plastic waste.
Despite cleanup efforts in recent years, including local governments hiring river patrols, progress has been limited. Manila Bay’s shores continue to be heavily affected by plastic waste.
