MANILA, Philippines — Of at least 15,785 people apprehended for littering in Metro Manila last year, around 82 percent or 12,918 were accosted for tossing cigarette butts on the street, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.
The MMDA’s 2023 Anti-Littering Apprehension Report also stated that 1,523 of those apprehended threw away paper while 1,343 others chucked candy wrappers.
According to MMDA Regulation 96-009, enacted in 1996, people will be arrested for “littering, illegal dumping, illegal disposal of garbage” particularly “in public areas and immediate surroundings, including vacant lots, rivers, canals, drainage and other waterways.”
Violators are fined P500 to P1,000 or compelled to undergo eight to 16 hours of community service.