The Philippines is home to some of Earth’s most beautiful beaches and coral reefs. All of these are threatened by a silent, growing menace to our oceans — plastics. We dumped tons of these daily into our seas. Most of this will never truly degrade. They will turn into microplastics which can be eaten by fish, seabirds, squid and people.

In Tingloy town, Batangas, inside one modest house there, is a janitor with a mission.

“I’m already up and collecting trash along our streets before dawn. I stuff what I find into handy eco—bags, then rinse them in detergent. Sometimes (when my wife’s not looking) I even add a bit of Downy so the trash smells nice,” Willie Mandanas says. “Once clean and dry, I cut plastic into small strips with these scissors. It’s relaxing because I can enjoy coffee and watch the morning news while working,” he added, showing how he makes plastics reusable. 

Mang Willie was an elementary school janitor for 37 years. He retired in 2021, but old habits die hard: His hands and mind constantly itched to clean places. He finally found his “retirement hobby” by helping rid his home island of waste.  

Mang Willie’s new hobby helps remove and upcycle some 80 kilograms of trash while generating around P1,500 every month. A non-government organization pays him and other volunteers P20 for every kilogram of shredded plastic and foil sachets they collect. The shredded material is then used as stuffing, hewn into colorful construction panels or used to manufacture cement.  

“It’s not big, but it’s a worthwhile way to spend my days,” he says while filling up a still — empty cardboard box with cut strips. 

The old janitor is just one of many people pitching in to combat plastic pollution in Tingloy.

Haven for marine life, but garbage magnet

Known as the birthplace of Philippine scuba diving with its dive sites situated closest to the capital city of Manila, “Anilao” is really a blanket term that refers to the coasts and waters of Bauan, Mabini and Tingloy in southern Batangas. It is part of the Verde Island Passage, the center of marine shorefish diversity with over 1,700 recorded marine fish species — more than any place on Earth. 

Tingloy, an island municipality separated from the mainland by a 3.7-kilometer — wide channel, includes the island of Marikaban, plus smaller islets like Caban and Sombrero Island — popular spots for legions of tourists who relish the area’s white sand beaches, plus dozens of world — class dive sites teeming with colorful fish and invertebrates. 

Many Tingloy residents derive their income from fishing and tourism, both of which depend on clean seas. Despite having only around 20,000 residents, Tingloy has become a veritable magnet for garbage streaming out of mainland Batangas. Even secluded beaches are strewn with truckloads of trash, mostly plastic waste in the form of non-biodegradable sachets, water bottles and diapers.

Plastic waste is one of the biggest problems facing oceans, especially since half the plastics hewn today are designed to be used once, then thrown away. Every 60 seconds, a dump truck’s worth of garbage flows to sea, equivalent to over 10 million metric tons of plastic yearly.