Environmental watchdog EcoWaste Coalition has urged Catholic devotees to help prevent and reduce trash during the 2026 Traslacion of the Jesus Nazarene.
The group warned that the annual procession continues to leave behind hundreds of tons of garbage.
The group appealed to the Catholic Church and the faithful to make this year’s Traslacion trash-free, stressing “the responsibility of every person to care for Mother Earth as stewards of God’s Creation.”
EcoWaste Coalition said it hopes devotees from all walks of life will heed its call for waste prevention and reduction during the reenactment of the transfer of the image from Intramuros to Quiapo.
The group cited data from the Manila Department of Public Services, which reported that 468 metric tons of garbage were collected during Traslacion-related activities from Jan. 6 to 10, 2024. Another 382 metric tons were collected from Jan. 8 to 10, 2025.
“Year after year, the Traslacion consistently leaves a massive trail of garbage along the six-kilometer processional route, sullying the city and keeping the uncomplaining waste and sanitation workers from the DPS, the Metro Manila Development Authority, and the Department of Public Works and Highways busy and exhausted,” the group said.
EcoWaste Coalition’s Basura Patrollers reported recurring littering along the route from Luneta to Quiapo, including plastic bottles “empty and sometimes with urine,” food containers and packaging, bamboo sticks, food waste, cigarette filters, and disposable vapes left on streets, sidewalks, and parks.
“Let our people’s profound faith in Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno inspire us to be better stewards of our planet, preventing and reducing waste and not littering, a punishable environmental offense, at all times but most especially during the Traslacion, a faith-centered feast,” said Ochie Tolentino, zero waste campaigner of EcoWaste Coalition.
She warned that “the reckless disposal of single-use plastic bottles, food containers, bamboo skewers, leftovers, butts and vapes degrades our shared environment, contaminating land, air, and water, blocking drains leading to flashfloods, creating breeding grounds for flies, mosquitoes, and rodents, and causing health problems.”
To curb littering, the group called on authorities to deploy environmental police to remind devotees of proper waste disposal under Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.
EcoWaste Coalition also urged devotees to comply with a “no littering, no smoking, no vaping” policy at Rizal Park, the venue of the traditional Pahalik; refrain from using single-use disposable plastics; properly dispose of or take home their discards; and avoid spitting or urinating in public, including passing water in plastic bottles.
