MWRP Philippines: Collecting Better Data to Manage Plastic Waste in Manila Bay

USAID, through a Municipal Waste Recycling Program (MWRP) grant, funded the University of Georgia (UGA) New Materials Institute’s Center for Circular Materials Management, led by Dr. Jenna Jambeck, to help the government collect better data to understand plastic waste leakage into Manila Bay.

Manila Bay is the most economically and politically significant body of water in the Philippines. It is also the most polluted. The bay straddles highly developed, densely populated regions where more than 13 million people reside. Three river systems empty into Manila Bay, carrying large volumes of untreated sewage and solid waste, harming fishing and recreation industries. The Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Environmental Management Bureau began rehabilitating Manila Bay in 2019, with support from the Metropolitan Manila Development Agency, Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission, and National Solid Waste Management Commission. USAID, through a Municipal Waste Recycling Program (MWRP) grant, funded the University of Georgia (UGA) New Materials Institute’s Center for Circular Materials Management, led by Dr. Jenna Jambeck, to help the government collect better data to understand plastic waste leakage into Manila Bay.

Download the full factsheet here.