The number of solid waste disposal facilities and illegal dumpsites in the Philippines increased in 2024 as the country produced more waste, according to the Compendium of Philippine Environment Statistics released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Based on the Environmental Management Bureau’s report, the country generated 269,550 metric tons of hazardous waste in 2024.
Oil was the largest type of hazardous waste, accounting for 89,750 metric tons, or 33.3 percent of the total. This was followed by miscellaneous wastes at 50,770 metric tons (19.2 percent) and wastes with inorganic chemicals at 39,440 metric tons (14.6 percent).
The number of material recovery facilities reached 12,855 in 2024, an 8.7-percent increase from 11,823 the previous year. Sanitary landfills also rose 14.7 percent to 343 from 299 in 2023. Meanwhile, reported illegal dumpsites climbed to 79 in 2024 from 43 in 2023.
The compendium also tallied the temperature and natural hazards in the Philippines.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reported an annual average minimum temperature of 24.5 degrees Celsius and an annual average maximum temperature of 31.6 degrees Celsius in 2024.
The highest monthly average maximum temperature was recorded in May at 33.7 degrees Celsius. The warmest temperature of 36.9 degrees Celsius was observed at the Central Luzon State University, Nueva Ecija monitoring station, during the same month. From 2015 to 2024, May consistently recorded the highest average maximum temperature.
Annual average rainfall measured 2,610 millimeters in 2024, a 5.8-percent decrease from the previous year. The highest annual rainfall was recorded in Daet, Camarines Norte, totaling 4,820 millimeters. July registered the highest average monthly rainfall at 422.9 millimeters.
In 2024, the country’s lowest average humidity was observed in April at 73.4 percent, while the highest occurred in December at 84.4 percent. The highest average atmospheric pressure was recorded in February at 1,004.88 hectopascals, with the lowest in September at 997.43 hectopascals.
The strongest average wind speed was noted in January at 2.92 meters per second, and the weakest average wind speed was in June at 1.87 meters per second.
The Office of Civil Defense reported 225 occurrences of small-scale natural hazard incidents in 2024. Flash floods or flooding were the most frequent, accounting for 53 occurrences (23.6 percent). This was followed by tornadoes, destructive winds, or strong winds, with 34 occurrences (15.1 percent), and fire incidents, which comprised 32 occurrences (14.2 percent).
A total of 1,489 human-induced hazards were recorded in 2024, with 1,487 classified as small-scale incidents. Vehicular accidents accounted for 997 incidents (67.0 percent), followed by 332 fire-related incidents (structural, wild/forest/mountain, and firefight incidents) (22.3 percent). The remaining 10.6 percent was attributed to other incidents such as drowning, maritime-related incidents and armed conflict.
Government climate change expenditures amounted to P457.41 billion in 2024, a 19.6-percent decrease from P568.94 billion in 2023, based on the Department of Budget and Management’s General Appropriations Act. Of the total expenditures, 96.6 percent was allocated to adaptation projects, while the remaining 3.4 percent was directed toward mitigation efforts.
Among the priority areas of the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP), water sufficiency received the highest allocation, amounting to P373.45 billion (81.6 percent of total climate change expenditures). This was followed by food security at 8.0 percent (P36.59 billion), sustainable energy at 4.0 percent (P18.19 billion), knowledge and capacity development at 2.9 percent (P13.14 billion) and other priorities at 3.5 percent (P16.04 billion).
