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5,000 Volunteers Join Coastal Cleanup Drive in Bataan

Students, fisherfolk, and local employees collected over 12 tons of coastal waste across 11 Bataan municipalities in one of the province’s largest volunteer environmental actions to date.

By Carlo Mendoza · Technology Correspondent ·

Volunteers collect plastic waste along the Bataan coastline at sunrise during the province-wide cleanup drive.
Volunteers collect plastic waste along the Bataan coastline at sunrise during the province-wide cleanup drive.

BALANGA, Bataan — More than 5,000 volunteers collected over 12 tons of coastal waste along the shores of 11 Bataan municipalities on Saturday, in one of the province’s largest synchronized environmental actions to date.

The drive, organized by the provincial government with schools, fisherfolk associations, and private companies, covered 38 kilometers of coastline facing Manila Bay and the West Philippine Sea.

Organizers said plastic sachets, bottles, and discarded fishing nets made up nearly 70 percent of the collected debris, which was turned over to accredited junk shops and a materials recovery facility for processing.

The sea feeds our families. Cleaning it is not charity — it is paying a debt.

The provincial environment office said the cleanup will be held quarterly, with the next drive scheduled in November alongside a mangrove planting activity targeting 20,000 seedlings.