DAVAO City-based Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS) called for genuine waste reduction at source following the collection of 19,115.19 kilograms of trash during the 2026 International Coastal Cleanup on Sept. 19.
The coastal cleanup across Davao Region gathered 2,530 sacks of waste from approximately 32 kilometers of coastline with the help of 6,852 volunteers.
IDIS acknowledged the collective effort of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources XI, local government units, communities, civil society, the private sector, and volunteers who participated in the coastal cleanup.
However, the collection of about 20 tons of waste emphasizes the value of collective environmental action and the continuing scale of the waste problem in the region.
“Coastal cleanups alone are not a sustainable solution to plastic pollution. The bigger question is: What will be done with the data gathered from these cleanup activities?” the group stressed.
DENR XI reported that beverage bottles and cans, glass and plastic containers, foam packaging, food wrappers, and small plastic and foam fragments were among the commonly collected items.
“Their continued presence points to a systemic problem that cannot be addressed through cleanups, waste segregation, and individual responsibility alone,” the group said.
The information collected from the clean-up should be utilized to trace their sources, identify the products and packaging that persistently pollute the environment, and guide policies that prevent waste generation.
IDIS called for stronger national and local policies that reduce the production, distribution, and consumption of unnecessary and problematic single-use plastics and packaging.
The group said the measures can include restrictions on use and phaseouts if needed, and should push for reuse, refill, and other systems that reduce reliance on disposable products.
DENR is called to release and implement the list of Non-Environmentally Acceptable Products and Packaging.
“The continued accumulation of plastic and other disposable materials in our waterways and coastlines reinforces the urgency of identifying and acting on products and packaging that are harmful to the environment,” the group stressed.
If particular products and packaging consistently appear among the waste collected, the findings from clean-up should translate into concrete regulatory action, not simply another round of cleanup the following year.
IDIS also called on the City Government of Davao to strictly implement its ordinance regulating local legislation on single-use plastics, such as consistent enforcement and compliance among businesses and establishments.
Local government units across the Davao Region are called to adopt and strengthen policies regulating single-use plastics and push for reusable alternatives to move away from dependence on disposable products.
The participation of 6,852 volunteers reflects that communities are willing to take responsibility for protecting the environment.
However, the group said responsibility cannot rest primarily on citizens who are repeatedly asked to collect waste after it has already been produced, sold, consumed, and discarded.
“Every sack of waste we remove from our coastlines is important, but we should also be asking why communities have to keep collecting the same kinds of waste year after year. Cleanups address what has already leaked into the environment. Strong regulation and waste prevention address why it gets there in the first place,” Mark Peñalver, executive director of IDIS, said.
