Coastal cleanup draws 74,075 volunteers

The Philippines surpassed its record of total volunteers and trash hauled during the half-day International Coastal Cleanup conducted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) yesterday in 250 coastal sites across the country.

From 35,000 volunteers last year, DENR recorded 74,075 volunteers from 1,913 government, academe and private sector organizations yesterday.

From the northernmost Pasuquin municipality in the Ilocos Region to the southernmost Glan municipality in the Soccsksargen Region, volunteers of all ages gathered at beaches, riverbanks and coastlines and collected a total of 352,479 kilos of trash and debris, ranging from plastics to other waste materials.

The data gathered during the cleanup will be compiled to better understand the types of waste affecting our waters, ultimately guiding future conservation strategies. The collected trash that can be recycled will be brought to the nearest local materials recovery facility.