THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has partnered with The Ocean Cleanup, a global nonprofit organization, to address plastic pollution in the Pasig River and broader Manila Bay region.
The five-year agreement was signed Thursday.
The DENR said the joint venture entails intercepting waste from the Pasig River and introducing low-cost, innovative technologies for baseline situational analyses and rigorous scientific data exchange.
The Ocean Cleanup is known for creating large-scale river interceptors and ocean cleanup systems. As of April 2026, the organization has deployed 21 interceptors in 10 countries, recovering over 52 million kilograms of trash from marine environments.
The Manila Bay, including the Pasig River system, is one of the key waterways under The Ocean Cleanup's 30 Cities Program. The endeavor aims to deploy solutions across 30 major cities in Asia and the Americas, targeting the elimination of up to one-third of all plastic flowing from rivers to oceans worldwide before the end of the decade. The Ocean Cleanup plans to use its solar-powered, automated, and high-capacity technology to intercept the heavy and continuous waste load in the Pasig River.
“The Pasig River has carried the burden of our consumption habits for far too long,” said Environment Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna. “We cannot allow this river to remain a pipeline of plastic to the ocean. This agreement is a decisive step toward breaking that cycle.” The DENR said preparations to deploy interceptors across the Manila Bay region are currently underway. It added that The Ocean Cleanup has already surveyed almost 100 sites and is working with the DENR in identifying deployment locations for maximum impact. Besides various sites along the Pasig River, The Ocean Cleanup will also deploy its first interceptor barrier at the Meycauayan River in Bulacan.
The DENR said the initiative is part of its "upstream regulatory push" under Republic Act 11898, or the Extended Producer Responsibility Act, which requires companies to recover and recycle the plastic packaging they produce.
Cuna said the project will serve as a technical pillar for the government's "Pasig Bigyang Buhay Muli" (PBBM) program for sustainable urban renewal.
“By integrating The Ocean Cleanup’s cutting-edge solutions with the government’s local restoration programs, the partnership aims to fulfill the president’s vision of a clean, navigable, and vibrant Pasig River that serves as a cornerstone for sustainable urban renewal and national pride,” he said.
The Ocean Cleanup founder and CEO Boyan Slat stressed the importance of reducing plastic pollution.
"This agreement with DENR brings together local leadership and global expertise to accelerate action in one of the world's most important coastal regions. By combining research, data and operational experience, we can identify where our Interceptor technology will have the greatest impact and help stop plastic before it reaches Manila Bay and the ocean," he said.
The initiative is supported by the Philippine Embassy in The Hague, the Dutch Embassy in Manila, and EnergiesPH.
