MAKATI CITY — The Philippines is targeting an 85 percent reduction in plastic pollution by 2040, with the Philippine National Plastic Action Roadmap 2026–2040 serving as a nationwide guide for reducing plastic waste and improving waste management. Launched in Makati City, the roadmap brings government, businesses, and communities together around efforts to prevent plastic waste at its source while strengthening collection, recovery, and recycling systems across the country. For Makati, the national initiative also highlights environmental measures the city has been pursuing for years, particularly its efforts to control plastic waste and protect waterways.
Makati’s Early Action Against Plastic Waste
Makati’s campaign against single-use plastics predates the national roadmap by more than two decades. The city enacted its Anti-Single-Use Plastic Ordinance in 2003, giving establishments a nine-year grace period to transition to alternatives to plastic bags. When enforcement took effect, Makati deployed 49 teams to monitor compliance across the city. Violators could face fines of up to PHP5,000, possible imprisonment, and revocation of business permits. The ordinance prohibits plastic and styrofoam packaging for dry goods, while wet goods are required to use biodegradable materials for secondary packaging. Certain products, including bottled water and items sold in plastic sachets, remain exempt from the ordinance. Nevertheless, the policy established a long-term approach to reducing plastic use through concrete local measures.
From Makati’s Waterways to Manila Bay
The city’s environmental efforts also extend to the waterways that connect Makati to larger water systems. Although Makati is inland, it is situated upstream of the Pasig River system, which eventually connects to Manila Bay. Managing waste and waterways therefore plays an important role in preventing plastic and other debris from reaching downstream areas. Through programs such as “Walang Waste sa Waterways” and the Task Force Makati Waterways, the city works to keep plastic waste and silt from entering its waterways. These initiatives contributed to Makati’s movement from 14th place in 2017 to 1st place in the Manila Bay Rehabilitation Program, where the city received the Most Improved LGU Award. Makati also achieved a 96.4 percent compliance score in the DILG-NCR evaluation for the Manila Bay Clean-up, Rehabilitation, and Preservation Program. For communities, these efforts are reflected in cleaner waterways, reduced flood risks, and a healthier urban environment.
Turning a National Roadmap Into Local Action
The Philippine National Plastic Action Roadmap 2026–2040 envisions a circular, inclusive, and accountable plastics system. It also recognizes the role of informal waste workers, who collect approximately three-quarters of the materials that reach domestic recyclers. At the local level, Makati shows how such broader environmental goals can become everyday community practices. In Barangay Tejeros, nearly 40,000 PET bottles were collected through Coca-Cola Philippines’ “Barangay Tapon to Ipon” initiative. The community received recycled plastic stools and a dedicated collection tent in return. The initiative illustrates how plastic reduction can begin within individual communities, where proper disposal, collection, and recycling habits can contribute to larger environmental objectives. For Makati, the journey toward the country’s 2040 target is built on years of local action, showing how national environmental goals can take root through everyday practices, one bottle, one household, and one barangay at a time.
