Beverage bottles, food wrappers and plastic caps accounted for nearly one-third of the 107,607 pieces of marine litter collected across MIMAROPA on September 19.
Data from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) MIMAROPA showed that volunteers recovered 17,129 beverage bottles, 9,615 food wrappers and 6,849 plastic bottle caps and lids.
The three categories totaled 33,593 pieces, or about 31 percent of all litter recorded during the simultaneous 2026 International Coastal Cleanup.
The activity mobilized 6,059 volunteers at 19 sites in Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan.
Participants included DENR personnel, local government units, partner agencies, schools, youth groups, civil society organizations, private companies and residents.
Volunteers gathered, sorted and recorded the litter using the Ocean Conservancy Data Card. The information will be used to determine the sources and composition of coastal waste and support measures to reduce it.
DENR Secretary Juan Miguel T. Cuna said coastal cleanups must be accompanied by efforts to prevent waste from reaching the environment.
“Today, as we clean our shores, let us also renew our commitment to prevent waste before it becomes pollution, recover resources instead of discarding them, and make responsible waste management a way of life,” Cuna said.
The DENR said the results underscored the need to improve waste management and keep discarded materials from entering rivers, waterways and coastal areas.
The annual cleanup was conducted under Presidential Proclamation No. 470, series of 1994, which designates the third Saturday of September as International Coastal Cleanup Day.
The activity also formed part of the observance of Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month 2026.
