Manila, Philippines

Metropolitan Manila is the formal name given to the 13 cities and four municipalities that comprise a rapidly growing megacity, one that is facing very serious problems of solid waste management, pollution, and associated threats to environmental health and sustainability. The estimated population of Metro Manila (as it is more widely known) is 12 million, though that comprises a commuting population of some 2–3 million during weekdays from surrounding regions.

Metro Manila's postwar growth has been phenomenal. In little more than six decades, it has grown from a population of a little over 1 million to a 21st-century megacity. In 2020, it is estimated Metro Manila's population will rise to around 18.5 million within 385 square miles, making it one of the most populated urban regions in the world.

It is, therefore, not surprising that concomitant infrastructure and institutional responses have lagged behind demand. Metro Manila's governance and planning has been hobbled by politics and intracity competition. Local government exercises considerable power in the Philippines, often at the expense of coordinated responses to shared problems. This is evident in solid waste management. Negotiations over access to landfills, which operate close to capacity, occur on a regular basis. Waste management and disposal is often an election issue. In 2000, Metro Manila's main landfill site, Carmona, closed, leaving several much-smaller sites to cope with demand. In actuality, most of Metro Manila's landfills do not meet international standards of sanitary disposal and can best be described as open dump sites.

Metro Manila has grown in enormous leaps in just over 60 years, from a population of just over 1 million to a massive megacity of 12 million. In 2020, it is estimated that Metro Manila's population will rise to around 18.5 million, making the city one of the most populated urban regions in the world. Total waste and per capita waste generation are also expected to increase substantially. Infrastructure and administration has not kept up with this growth, and local political negotiations determine the use of limited landfill space.