THE Philippines has reached 89 percent compliance among local government units (LGUs) with mandated solid waste management plans halfway through President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s term, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said.
Solid waste management (SWM) is key to public health, climate resilience, and disaster prevention. The progress reflects stronger implementation of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, long hampered by weak enforcement.
The Marcos administration links the drive to its development plan, with approved and renewed SWM plans setting the foundation for recycling, composting, and reduced landfill use. These are critical as flooding, marine litter, and garbage continue to burden communities.
Republic Act 9003 requires every LGU to prepare a 10-year plan and build recovery facilities and landfills. Compliance lagged in earlier years, but momentum grew under tighter DENR oversight.
The numbers:
1,416 of 1,592 LGUs compliant (89 percent).
328 new SWM plans approved (July 2022–June 2025).
41 plans renewed.
12,864 materials recovery facilities (MRF) in 2025, up from 11,779 in 2022.
19,464 barangays served by MRFs, nearly half nationwide.
343 sanitary landfills serving 748 LGUs, compared with 287 in 2022.
DENR aims for full compliance by 2028, while Marcos is testing waste-to-energy in Manila for wider rollout. / PNA