PLASTIC. PLASTIC. PLASTIC. PLASTIC.

Rivers Fueling Global Ocean Plastic

The share of global ocean plastic pollution that comes from the world's ten largest emitting rivers.

These rivers aren’t just flowing, they’re carrying massive loads of plastic into our oceans. The Philippines sits at the eye of this storm.

Recent estimates show the Philippines generates around 2.7 million tonnes of plastic waste every year, and roughly 20%–35% of that is thought to leak into the ocean (UNDP / World Bank), (Böll Foundation). With hundreds of rivers and more than 7,600 islands, our plastic doesn’t stay on land, it moves.

Top plastic-emitting rivers
Just a handful of rivers send a terrifying amount of plastic into the sea. Meijer et al. 2021 / Our World in Data found that seven of the top ten are in the Philippines.
1. Pasig (Philippines)
0%

2. Klang (Malaysia)
0%

3. Ulhas (India)
0%

4. Tullahan (Philippines)
0%

5. Meycauayan (Philippines)
0%

6. Pampanga (Philippines)
0%

7. Libmanan (Philippines)
0%

8. Ganges (India)
0%

9. Rio Grande de Mindanao (Philippines)
0%

10. Agno (Philippines)
0%

Source: Our World in Data – “Where does the plastic in our oceans come from?”
The crisis in numbers

The Philippines is not just affected by plastic pollution, we’re driving it.

These aren’t abstract percentages. They are levers we either keep pulling in the wrong direction, or finally push back on.

Annual plastic waste
0
Estimated 2.7 million tonnes of plastic waste generated every year in the Philippines (UNDP / World Bank).

Impact level
Leaked to the ocean
0
Between 20% and 35% of that plastic is estimated to leak into oceans (Böll Foundation).

Impact level
Recycling reality
0
Only about 9% of our plastic waste is recycled; roughly 35% leaks into the open environment (Philippine News Agency).

Impact level
Share of ocean plastics
0
In one estimate, plastic emitted from the Philippines made up about 36.38% of global ocean plastic waste (Böll Foundation citing Our World in Data).

Impact level
Ground zero

Why our plastics hit the ocean faster than almost anywhere else.

Geography and behavior collide here. We’re a nation built on rivers, bays, coastlines, and a “sachet economy” that depends heavily on single-use plastic packaging.

  • Rivers as plastic highways Modeling work shows the Philippines as the largest contributing country for river-borne plastic emissions, with over 400 rivers pushing an estimated 356,000+ tonnes of plastic into the ocean each year (BusinessMirror / Meijer et al.).
  • Seven of the worst rivers are ours Pasig, Tullahan, Meycauayan, Pampanga, Libmanan, Rio Grande de Mindanao, and Agno all appear in the global top ten for plastic emissions to the sea (Our World in Data).
  • Pasig River is a global outlier It’s estimated to account for about 6.4% of global river plastics entering the ocean (Our World in Data).
  • We live in a sachet economy Filipinos are estimated to use over 163 million sachets every day (DOST–NRCP), most of which are impossible to recycle under current systems.
Every one of those sachets feels small in your hand. But together, they add up to a national habit that is drowning our rivers and coastlines in soft plastic that almost never gets recovered.
Estimated sachets used per day in the Philippines
0
That’s 163 million individual pieces of plastic packaging — every single day.
Fallout

What this plastic crisis does to our seas, our bodies, and our future.

Plastic in the Philippines isn’t just an eyesore. It’s a slow-motion disaster for marine life, for coastal communities, and for anyone who eats, breathes, or drinks.

Oceans & fisheries
Millions of marine animals
Ghost nets, plastic bags, and microplastics kill or injure marine animals, choke coral reefs, and reduce fish stocks. Our fisheries and coastal livelihoods — from small fishers to tourism operators — take the hit first.
Human health
Microplastics everywhere
Microplastics are now found in seafood, drinking water, table salt, and even in the air we breathe. Officials have warned that Filipinos “consume plastics in the fish caught in our waters and in the very air we breathe” (PNA).
Economy & reputation
Billions at risk
Our global image shifts from paradise to polluted hotspot. Plastic-choked beaches hurt tourism, while dirty rivers raise cleanup costs and long-term risks for investors and communities.
From crisis to change
Big systemic problems start to move with small, repeatable choices.

We need policy, enforcement, and corporate accountability. But those battles take time. Meanwhile, every Filipino household is making daily choices that either add to the plastic flood or quietly start to slow it down.

One of the most underestimated sources of plastic in our homes is our cleaning and laundry routine: bottles, sachets, caps, scoops, and multilayer packaging that almost never gets recycled. That’s where OxyBalls comes in.

  • Cut out the plastic packaging. OxyBalls are a reusable solution designed to replace single-use plastic bottles and sachets in your wash. Meaning less plastic bought, used, and thrown away every month.
  • Turn one habit into hundreds of saved items. Each time you run a load with OxyBalls instead of a conventional plastic-packaged product, you’re removing another bottle, sachet, or scoop from the waste stream.
  • Make sustainability the default. Once OxyBalls are the thing sitting beside your washing machine, your “normal” wash is suddenly low-plastic by design.
  • Start change people can see. When friends and family see that you’ve switched to options like OxyBalls, it opens up a bigger conversation: “If we can fix this part of our routine, what else can we change?”
Switch my wash to OxyBalls
Data & sources

Check the receipts.

Every claim on this page is tied to published studies, reports, or official statements. Explore them. Share them. Use them to demand better.