In the Philippines, solid waste management remains to be a perennial challenge particularly in the urban areas. Among the major concerns of the country are the inadequate number of disposal facilities, inept waste disposal, and inefficient waste collection. Plastic pollution, in particular, has become one of the country's most pressing environmental concerns with plastic waste accounting for a significant share of its overall generated waste.

With the country being among the most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, strengthened collaboration between the public and private sector especially at the local level is deemed urgent and necessary to address environmental damages that amplify the vulnerability of our country to climate change. Existing waste management frameworks and policies must also be examined and updated to deal with the rapidly increasing waste generation brought about by rapid urbanization and population growth, among others.

In line with the Chamber's sustainability-related advocacies, the ECCP is organizing this year's Waste Management Forum with the theme, "Make Haste to Reduce Waste: Redesigning a sustainable plastic-free future" on 15 November 2022, 2:00 - 5:30 PM via Zoom. The Forum aims to encourage more partnerships among the key stakeholders in developing and implementing waste management solutions, and provide a platform for government, business, civil society, development partners and other thought leaders to discuss waste management issues and challenges as well as share solutions and best practices that lead to effective waste management policies, strategies and programs.