Insight

Highlights from the Circularity Assessment Protocol in Manila, Philippines

Over 3,000 litter items (e.g., food wrappers, cigarette butts, plastic fragments, etc.) were painstakingly identified and counted by Save Philippine Seas (SPS) in Metro Manila in early 2021. The litter items, at an average density of 112 items per length of a city block (100m) are like clues leading to a menu of interventions to prevent plastic pollution. But they are just part of the picture. Read More

Best of 2020 – Ocean Plastics at USAID

Despite the many challenges of 2020, it was an important year for advancing USAID’s work on combating ocean plastic pollution. From new partnerships to unsung heroes, here are some of the highlights of USAID’s ocean plastics work in 2020: 1: Honoring informal waste… Read More

Plastic-Free in the New Normal?

Hosted by USAID grantee Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation (PRRCFI), this panel discussion covers the unique challenges, opportunities, and approaches to reducing the use of plastic in the Philippines during the COVID-19 global pandemic. To commemorate #PlasticFreeJuly, PRRCFI discusses… Read More

U.S. Senate Subcommittee Hearing on Ocean Plastic Pollution

On July 21, 2020, the Senate Subcommittee on the Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Committee on Appropriations United States Senate held a hearing to review U.S. government efforts to address ocean plastic pollution internationally. USAID Assistant Administrator Bureau for Economic Growth, Education and Environment Michelle… Read More

Turning the Tide on Ocean Plastic Pollution in the Philippines

A staggering 2.7 million tons of plastic waste are generated in the Philippines each year, 20 percent of which is estimated to end up in the ocean (McKinsey, 2015). According to Dr. Jenna Jambeck’s 2015 ocean plastics study–one of the most comprehensive ocean plastics studies to date–the nation stands as… Read More

USAID MWRP Video Updates: Misool Foundation, Indonesia

Raja Ampat, Indonesia is home to some of the richest marine biodiversity in the world. USAID grantee Misool Foundation works to protect this marine environment through the Bank Sampah-Community Waste Recycling Program, which supports waste collection and recycling services with… Read More

USAID MWRP Video Update: Sri Lanka Center for Development Facilitation

USAID grantee Sri Lanka Center for Development Facilitation (SLCDF) works to address plastic waste dumping in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. The city dumps one of the country’s highest volumes of plastic waste per capita into the marine environment, largely due to the lack of an established solid waste management system. SLCDF’s… Read More