E-Waste Management in the Philippines

7/25/2019 E-Waste Management in the Philippines

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E-Waste Management in

the PhilippinesBy Charles Tito R. Aguilar

JD 42!


2/18

What is E-waste?


3/18

What is E-waste?

E-Waste "ele#troni# $aste% is the term use& to &es#ri'e the rapi&ly gro$ingstream o( $aste (rom &is#ar&e& ele#troni#s an& applian#es. These items

in#lu&e anything (rom #omputers) T*s an& phones to $ashing ma#hines an&re(rigerators to e+erything else in 'et$een. Most o( these ele#troni#s or

applian#es are o(ten not trash) 'ut simply out&ate& an& tra&e& up (or thelatest +ersion on the mar,et.


4/18

What laws regulate e-waste?

o#ally there is no spe#ial la$ on e-$aste. nstea&) &is#ar&e& ele#troni#s (allun&er the /spe#ial $aste0 #ategory o( Repu'li# A#t 1o. !) or the

E#ologi#al 3oli& Waste Management A#t o( 2. The a#t) $hi#h is a generalla$ that aims to re&u#e an& properly manage soli& $aste in the Philippines)

i&enti(ies the lo#al go+ernment units to 'e responsi'le (or the #olle#tion an&han&ling o( spe#ial $astes) an& to i&enti(y #urrent an& propose& programs to

ensure proper han&ling) re-use an& long-term &isposal o( su#h.


5/18


n a&&ition to RA !) Repu'li# A#t 1o. ) also #alle& the To5i# 3u'stan#ean& 6a7ar&ous an& 1u#lear Waste A#t o( 8) see,s to) among others) $ith

regar& to #hemi#al su'stan#es an& mi5tures that present an unreasona'le ris,or in9ury to health or the en+ironment to regulate) restri#t or prohi'it the

importation) manu(a#ture) pro#essing) sale) &istri'ution) use an& &isposalthereo(. With regar& to ha7ar&ous an& nu#lear $astes RA see,s to

pre+ent the entry) e+en in transit) as $ell as the ,eeping or storage an&

&isposal o( ha7ar&ous an& nu#lear $astes into the #ountry (or $hate+erpurpose.


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Department o( En+ironment an& 1atural Resour#es "DE1R% A&ministrati+e:r&er 2 "DA: 2%) series o( 82 is the mplementing Rules an& Regulations

o( RA . DA: 2 outlines the pro#esses) in#lu&ing the re;uirements) in themanagement o( to5i# an& ha7ar&ous $astes) as $ell as the penalties that may

'e impose& in +iolation o( the la$.


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The Basel Con+ention $as #reate& in 8


8/18

E-waste as a rising global concern

A##or&ing to the most re#ent report release& 'y the =nite& 1ations =ni+ersity"=1=% on e-$aste) (in&ings sho$ that glo'ally $e pro&u#e& 48.< million tons

o( e-$aste in 284. E+en more startling -- it is 'elie+e& that less than one-si5th is properly re#y#le& or reuse&.


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10/18

An issue of toxicity

1ot only &oes the phenomenon o( e-$aste pose +olume management

pro'lems (or #ountries) it also #reates serious en+ironmental an& health

#on#erns. E-$aste #ontains a #o#,tail o( ha7ar&ous materials that #an pollute

groun&$ater an& surroun&ing 'o&ies o( $ater) an& #ontaminate the air an&ultimately a((e#t 'io&i+ersity. Moreo+er) people e5pose& to su#h materials

may 'e more prone to 'rain an& repro&u#ti+e system pro'lems an& &i((erent

(orms o( #an#er.

E-$aste is #lassi(ie& as Waste (rom Ele#tri#al an& Ele#troni# E;uipment 'y

DE1R pro#e&ural manual on to5i# an& ha7ar&ous $aste management. t is

&e(ine& to in#lu&e all $aste ele#tri#al an& ele#troni# e;uipment that #ontain

ha7ar&ous #omponents su#h as lea&) #a&mium) mer#ury) he5a+alent

#hromium) poly'rominate& 'iphenyls) poly'rominate& &iphenyl ethers thatin#lu&e its peripherals i.e.) in, #artri&ges) toners) et#.


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12/18

An issue of volume

The Philippines) in its o$n #apa#ity) #an generate an o+er$helmingly large

amount o( e-$aste. A 2> stu&y on the #urrent an& (uture ;uantity o( e-$aste

in the Philippines estimates that appro5imately 2.? million units o( tele+isions)

re(rigerators) air #on&itioners) $ashing ma#hines an& ra&ios 'e#ame o'solete

'y the en& o( 2>) $ith aroun& 8.< million units going to lan&(ills. @rom 8>

to 2>) appro5imately 84 million units 'e#ame o'solete) $ith an a&&itional

84 million units pro9e#te& to (ollo$ the same route 'y 28.

6o$e+er) a signi(i#ant amount o( e-$aste also enters the Philippines as/surplus ele#troni#s0 (rom other #ountries su#h as the =nite& 3tates) 3outh

orea) Japan) 6ong ong an& Thailan&. mportation o( se#on&han& home

applian#es an& ele#troni# e;uipment is #ontrolle& 'y the En+ironmental

Management Bureau o( the Department o( En+ironment 1atural Resour#es)

(ollo$ing the pro+isions o( the Basel Con+ention.


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What Is Being Done?

The DE1R has a list o( a##re&ite& #ompanies that pro+i&e re#y#ling ser+i#es(or e-$aste) $hi#h is #onsi&ere& spe#ial $aste. They are #alle& Treatment)

3torage) an& Disposal "T3D% (a#ilities.

The DE1R En+ironmental uality Di+ision-6a7ar&ous Waste Management3e#tion hel& a pu'li# #onsultation last April at EMB Central :((i#e in

or&er to soli#it inputs an& #omments (rom the &i((erent sta,ehol&ers on the&ra(t gui&elines on the En+ironmentally 3oun& Management o( Waste

Ele#tri#al an& Ele#troni# E;uipment. t $as atten&e& 'y representati+es (romEMB) #on#erne& go+ernment agen#ies) in&ustries an& other sta,ehol&ers.


14/18

What Is Being Done?

n July 28) the 1ational 3oli& Waste Management Commission "13WMC%) anatta#he& agen#y o( the DE1R) &e+elope& a sa(ety mo&ule (or the in(ormal

$aste se#tor. The mo&ule) $hi#h (o#use& mostly on #hemi#al sa(ety) aime& toe&u#ate the &i((erent people engage& in the se#tor a'out the o##upational

ha7ar&s they are e5pose& to) as $ell as some imme&iate measures that #an'e ta,en to minimi7e health an& en+ironmental ris,.


15/18

What Is Being Done?

Malls ha+e e-$aste #olle#tion &ays to allo$ mall-goers to 'ring all theirun$ante& ele#troni#s. 3M has its Trash to Cash Re#y#ling Mar,et an& Ayala has

its Re#y#la'les @air. A person #an 'ring ol& 'atteries) ol& #assettes) ol&applian#es that are no longer $or,ing an& there are people $ho #ome an&

'uy them (rom you in 'ul,.


16/18

What can you do?

While $e all ha+e 'usy li+es) $e #an still &o our part to help. @or instan#e) $e

#an easily implement the three Rs $e learne& in s#hool.

Resear#h. no$ $hi#h #ompanies pro&u#e sa(e an& en+ironmentally

sustaina'le ele#troni# ga&gets. We'sites su#h as those set up 'y reenpea#e

ha+e gui&es that ran, the top ele#troni#s manu(a#turers a##or&ing to their

poli#ies on to5i#s) re#y#ling) an& #limate #hange.

Pur#hase ele#troni#s that ha+e the /Ro630 logo. This means that the

e;uipment #omplies $ith the European =nionFs Restri#tion o( 6a7ar&ous

3u'stan#es &ire#ti+e that prohi'its the sale o( ele#troni#s that #ontain

#ommon to5ins (oun& in ele#troni# ga&gets.


17/18

What can you do?

Buy energy-e((i#ient ele#troni# pro&u#ts. ess energy use& means lesser

po$er #onsume&. Whi#h is goo& not only (or Meral#o 'ut (or the #limate as

$ell.

oo, (or 'ran&s $ith goo& $arranty an& ta,e-'a#, poli#ies. Reputa'le

manu(a#turers shoul& stan& 'ehin& the pro&u#ts they sell.

o (or ;uality) not ;uantity. Most o( the #heap items $ill $ear out a(ter a (e$

months. Buying a pro&u#t o( goo& ;uality is a mu#h 'etter in+estment G an&

'etter (or the en+ironment) too.


18/18

What can you do?

oo, (or ele#troni#s $ith re#hargea'le rather than &isposa'le 'atteries.

DonFt &ump or 'urn your e-$aste. oo, (or reputa'le re#y#lers $ho #anmanage the to5i# $aste in an en+ironmentally soun& manner.

E-Waste Management in the Philippines

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