DENR, Ocean Cleanup sign deal to clean Pasig River

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Dutch non-profit organization The Ocean Cleanup inked an agreement to remove floating waste from the Pasig River.

Signed this week, the deal will focus on deploying waste interception technologies, conducting scientific data exchanges, and carrying out baseline environmental analyses to support river rehabilitation efforts.

“The Pasig River has carried the burden of our consumption habits for far too long. We cannot allow this river to remain a pipeline of plastic to the ocean. This agreement is a decisive step toward breaking that cycle,” DENR Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna said in a statement.

“This partnership allows us to confront the problem from both ends — by holding producers accountable and by deploying the technology needed to intercept the waste already in our waters,” he added.

According to the DENR, the five-year partnership complements enforcement of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act, which requires large firms to recover and recycle the plastic packaging they generate.

Cuna said the collaboration combines regulatory measures with technological interventions.

The initiative is being undertaken with the support of the Philippine Embassy in The Hague and the Dutch Embassy in Manila.

According to the DENR, the Ocean Cleanup is known for developing large-scale river and ocean cleanup systems.

The organization said it has deployed 21 Interceptor systems in 10 countries and has collected more than 52 million kilograms of waste from aquatic environments as of April 2026.

The Manila Bay Region, including the Pasig River System, has been identified as one of the key waterways under The Ocean Cleanup’s 30 Cities Program.

This program aims to scale interceptor technology across major cities in Asia and the Americas to reduce plastic leakage into the oceans.

Over the next five years, the project will prioritize knowledge transfer to the Pasig River Coordinating and Management Office (PRCMO) under the DENR-National Capital Region to ensure local authorities can independently sustain cleanup operations in the future.

The Ocean Cleanup founder and CEO Boyan Slat said the partnership combines local leadership and international expertise to address plastic pollution.

“Plastic pollution is a global problem that requires strong local partnerships to solve. 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,” Ocean Cleanup founder and CEO Boyan Slat said.

Slat added that the organization aims to build on existing environmental efforts in the Philippines and help deliver long-term results.

The Ocean Cleanup’s work in Manila is being supported by Energies PH. Its chairman and chief executive officer Antonio A. Ver said the initiative demonstrates how science, government, businesses, and communities can work together to address environmental challenges.

Preparations for deployment in the Manila Bay region are already underway, according to the DENR.

The Ocean Cleanup said it has surveyed nearly 100 sites and is coordinating with government officials to determine priority locations.

Aside from prospective deployment sites along the Pasig River, the organization is also set to install its first Interceptor barrier in the Meycauayan River in Bulacan. — Joviland Rita/BAP, GMA News