ASEANO Project Report: Mapping of Sources and Concentration of Plastic Waste in the Imus River Watershed
PUBLICATION DATE:
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
PUBLICATION TYPE:
Reports
STATUS:
Only Available Online
DESCRIPTION:
The sources of plastic wastes and areas of expected high levels of plastic waste generation were mapped in the Imus River Watershed in the Province of Cavite, in the Philippines. Different sources of plastic waste were identified, and used to estimate the magnitude of plastic waste generation. Information on the major sources of plastic waste were obtained from the 10-Year Solid Waste Management Plan of the seven cities and municipalities located within the boundaries of the watershed. Remote sensing technology was used to identify the coordinates of different potential sources. For higher resolution, Google Imagery was used in preparing base maps which were imported and georeferenced in ArcMap. A 7-day waste characterization study in three selected barangays was conducted to determine the average amount of plastic waste generated per household. This data served as inputs for a hotspot analysis in ArcGIS to identify plastic waste generation hotspots within the watershed. The Imus River system traverses seven cities and municipalities that include parts of Tagaytay City, Silang, and Amadeo in the upland areas, a large part of the densely populated and urbanized cities of Dasmariñas and Imus City in the central hilly areas, and portions of the lowland City of Bacoor and the coastal Municipality of Kawit. It has a total drainage area of 11,259.80 hectares. A total of 222 barangay communities were identified within the boundaries of the watershed with a total population of 1,351,057. The major sources of waste in the watershed were primarily households, followed by commercial, institutional, and industrial establishments. The total number of commercial, institutional, and industrial establishments identified was 778, and a total of 54 waste storage facilities were found in the watershed. From the 7-day characterization study in three selected barangay communities, an average of 113.03 kg of plastics was generated daily by the households in Barangay Burol 1, Dasmariñas City; 9.17 kg/day in Barangay Mabolo 1, Bacoor City; and 29.29 kg/day in Barangay Maitim 2nd Central, Tagaytay City. An average of 0.17 Kg/day per household of plastics were generated in the watershed and 0.05 Kg/day per capita. A cluster of high plastic waste generating barangays was identified in Dasmariñas City, where various tributaries of the Imus River converge. This combination is likely to create a significant hotspot for waste leakage. Clusters of low plastic waste generating barangays were identified in parts of Imus, Kawit, and Bacoor. These cold spots should not be ignored, as increasing plastic waste generation could exceed capacity and push them into future leakage hotspots.
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
Integrated River Basin Management Project Newsletter - Edition 6
"Weaving Resilience” marks the sixth edition of the Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) Project's newsletter, spotlighting inspiring narratives of women and advancements in project implementation.
This issue features threads of resilience in the stories of women from the Sasmuan Pampanga Coastal Wetlands of the Pasac-Guagua Watershed in the Philippines, alongside the impactful work of women leaders driving environmental change across Southeast Asia. It also highlights the need to conserve key project sites, including the Ciliwung River in Indonesia.
Key project activities and milestones from the first quarter of 2025 include the ongoing formulation of a framework and solutions template for pilot project development in the seven priority river basins, Lao PDR's approval of the 2025 Work Plan and State of the River Basin Report for the Nam Tha River Basin, and stakeholder validation workshops for the State of River Basin Reports for the Imus-Ylang Ylang and Rio Grande Rivers, as well as the Pasac-Guagua Watershed.
These interconnected efforts are key components of a strengthening web of partnerships and collaboration within the ASEAN region.
2025 MEP Program Planning Workshop
The planning workshop for the 2025 Marine Environment Protector (MEP) Program was conducted on 18-19 March 2025 at Parañaque, Philippines and brought together representatives from MEP partner organizations across six Philippine sites.
Representatives from the four existing MEP program sites presented their 2024 accomplishments and shared lessons learned from implementation. The workshop also served as an introduction for new MEP partners from Bulan and Calbayog who will begin implementation in 2025.
The participants discussed various campaigns and identified effective practices that could be applied across different sites. Together, they drafted comprehensive work plans and timelines aligned with the 2025 implementation guidelines established by the Regional Project Management Unit (RPMU).
The two-day workshop successfully established target outputs for 2025 implementation and developed strategies to effectively impact local communities in their respective sites. Participants focused on ensuring engagement and full support of their respective local government units for proposed marine plastic waste management initiatives.
Proceedings of the 1st Blue Carbon Technical Working Group Meeting
The First Blue Carbon Technical Working Group meeting was held on February 25, 2025, online via video conference (Zoom). The meeting was chaired by the Technical Session Chair and Co-Chair of the East Asian Seas (EAS) Partnership Council (PC) and participated by PEMSEA country partner designated representatives from China and the Philippines; non-country partner representatives from the National Marine Hazard Mitigation Service (NMHMS), Ocean Policy Research Institute of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (OPRI-SPF), Conservation International (CI), Korean Maritime Institute (KMI); PNLC members, Xiamen University, University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI); and other collaborators, such as the China Green Carbon Foundation and OceanPixel.
PEMSEA eBulletin - February 2025
Dear PEMSEA community,
As we step into a new month, we are thrilled to share some remarkable milestones and collaborative efforts that highlight PEMSEA’s ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability.
The month began with PEMSEA receiving recognition from the DENR-EMB for the strong collaboration particularly through the MOF/PEMSEA ODA Marine Plastics Project in the Philippines. In the Arafura and Timor Seas, representatives from Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste came together in Australia to tackle the ghost net crisis.
Discover how the IRBM Project is fostering transparency and accountability with its new Grievance Redress Mechanism, empowering voices to be heard. Learn more about the data-driven efforts in the Philippines and Timor-Leste, where beach monitoring is shaping policies to tackle marine plastics.
And don’t miss the update from PEMSEA’s inaugural Blue Carbon Technical Working Group meeting, where stakeholders across the region came together to advance the Blue Carbon Roadmap and set the direction of the program.
IRBM Stories - Reviving the Vibrance of Ciliwung River
The Ciliwung River Basin, located in Indonesia, originates in the Bogor Regency and flows 118.25 kilometers to the Java Sea, passing through the cities of Bogor, Depok, and Jakarta. Covering 421.47 square kilometers, it supports over 3,852,000 people and provides essential resources for agriculture, livelihoods, and transportation. The Ciliwung Dam, constructed in 1911, irrigates 333 hectares of rice fields and contributes to the region's renowned tea plantations. The river basin faces significant pollution challenges from domestic and industrial waste. The Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) Project aims to mitigate these issues through improved governance, community engagement, and sustainable waste management practices.