Celestial, Ronald Gem. (2018).
E-waste
management in the Philippines.
(Overview and Introduction only)1
OVERVIEW
Electrical and electronic equipment are omnipresent (EEE). The demand for
newer, more efficient and effective technology has led to the increase of EEE usage.
When these gadgets become obsolete, they are reused, recycled, landfilled or stored.
Importation of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) or e-waste from
countries such as China, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong adds to the
overall e-waste management.
E-waste is described as old, end-of-life, or discarded electrical appliances. These
can include a variety of goods such as large household appliances, information and
communication technology equipment, and small consumer electronic items. These
pieces of equipment contain heavy metals such as lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), lithium (Li),
arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), selenium (Se) and hexavalent chromium (Cr6+), and
organic chemicals such as polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and polybrominated
diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) which are hazardous to human health and the environment.
While there are a few DENR-accredited e-waste management facilities, most e-waste
are being handled by the informal sector which includes scavengers, waste pickers, and
junkshop operators.
In the Philippines, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
Administrative Order No. 2013-22 classified e-waste as a new class of miscellaneous
waste with waste numbers M506 and M507; however, a formal and comprehensive e-
waste management system is still lacking in the country. There are pending legislations
aimed at managing the e-waste in the country. The Environment Management Bureau
(EMB) of DENR has issued a draft document of the “Guidelines on the Environmentally
Sound Management (ESM) of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)” which
is yet to be approved. In the 17th Congress, there are two bills filed to address e-waste
management. The first bill is Senate Bill No. 568 (E-waste and Cellular Phone Recycling
Act) authored by Sen. Antonio Trillanes and House Bill No. 5901 (E-waste Management
Act) authored by Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Emmi de Jesus and Rep. Arlene Brosas,
BAYAN Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate, ACT Teachers’ Partylist Rep. Antonio Tinio and
Rep. France Castro, Anakpawis Partylist Rep. Ariel Casilao and Kabataan Partylist Rep.
Sarah Jane Elago; however, both bills are pending on their respective committees. This
paper discusses the e-waste management system in the Philippines.
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INTRODUCTION
Electronic products are present in almost every aspect of our lives. Dependence
on these devices and demand for newer, more efficient and effective technology has
shortened the life span of these products, resulting to the growing number of electronic
items found in the waste stream. These end-of-life electronic products are referred to
as waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), or more commonly known as
electronic-waste or e-waste.
E-waste has become the fastest growing waste stream in the industrialized
world. In 2004, it was reported that e-waste was growing at about 4% per year, and in
2012, the rate at which its volume is increasing was 5-10% yearly (UNEP, 2004 cited by
Wong et al. 2007; Sthiannopkao & Wong, 2013). Faster growth rate of e-waste
produced can be observed in developing countries than developed countries.
Currently, the Philippines has no official data available regarding the recent
quantity of e-waste being generated; however, the e-waste generators who consume
electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and discard them as waste can be broadly
divided into two categories: 1) corporate consumers, which include commercial,
industrial and government entities, and 2) private or household consumers
(Premakumara, 2016). Imported EEE also adds to the overall amount of e-waste in the
country.
Various studies have shown that considerable amount of e-waste generated in
developed countries are either discarded as regular household items or imported to
developing countries where they are either repaired or reused. Various substances can
be found in EEE. While some of these are precious metals and other valuable materials,
many of these are heavy metals such as lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), lithium (Li), arsenic
(As), cadmium (Cd), selenium (Se) and hexavalent chromium (Cr6+), and organic
chemicals such as polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers
(PBDEs). A range of technique is currently applied for retrieving the components of
materials from WEEE; however, inappropriate and outdated recycling methods may lead
to the release of toxic by-products to the environment. Therefore, environmentally
sound management (ESM) is required when handling e-waste to ensure that its
hazardous components are properly disposed to avoid adverse impacts to human health
and environment.
E-waste management system usually involves both the formal and informal
sectors. Formal sites are approved companies that deal with large amounts of used
products from affiliated clients and comply with environmental laws and regulations.
These products include plastics, classical e-wastes (e.g. CRTs, refrigerators, circuit
boards, wire cables), and recent e-wastes (e.g. LCDs, solar panels). In contrast,
informal sites are illegal and have a small number of workers. Products of informal sites
are mainly classical e-wastes (Fujimori et al., 2012). This sector is labor intensive, uses
low-level technology, and generally generates low levels of income (Wilson et al.,
2006, cited by Yoshida et al., 2016). They often do not pay income taxes and generally
avoid government regulations. In developing countries like the Philippines, most e-
waste are recycled by the informal sector, which includes junkshops and private
individuals.
While there are a few formal sites accredited by the Department of Environment
and Natural Resources (DENR) to handle e-waste and policies that mention e-waste,
the Philippines lacks a comprehensive e-waste management system. This paper aims to
discuss the e-waste management system in the Philippines. Specifically, it aims to: 1)
define e-waste and its impacts to human health and the environment, 2) determine the
amount of e-waste generated in the Philippines and identify its generators, 3) discuss
how e-waste is processed, and 4) identify the existing and proposed policies on e-
waste management in the Philippines.
OVERVIEW OF E-WASTE
E-waste is a term for electronic products that are defective or obsolete, or simply
nearing in the end of their useful life. Basel Action Network defined e-waste as “broad
and growing range of electronic devices, ranging from large household devices such as
refrigerators, air conditioners, cellphones, personal stereos, and consumer electronics to
computers which have been discarded by their users” (Peralta & Fontanos, 2006).
Depending on the age and type of the discarded item, the chemical composition
of e-waste varies; however most e-waste is composed of a mixture of metals such as
copper (Cu), aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe) attached to, covered with, or mixed with
plastics and ceramics (Robinson, 2009). It may also contain hazardous components
such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), hexavalent chromium (Cr6+),
polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Due to
its health, environment, and socio-economic impacts, environmentally sound
management (ESM) is required in handling e-waste.
PH a legal dumpsite for imported e-waste2
INDUSTRIALIZED nations such as South Korea are taking advantage of a 2013
administrative order from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources
(DENR) that allows the importation of large amounts of potentially toxic electronic
waste, or e-waste, such as discarded televisions, mobile phones, and computer
components, an investigation by The Manila Times found.
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According to research by the United Nations, various environmental groups, and
universities, e-waste is a growing problem globally, particularly for developing countries
like the Philippines, which serve as export destinations for e-waste from developed
economies. The e-waste is an attractive proposition for poor communities, where it is
processed – mostly by hand – to extract valuable metals such as gold, palladium, silver,
and copper.
The potential for earning some income comes with significant risks to human health and
environmental safety, however. According to the World Health Organization, e-waste is
highly toxic, containing a host of substances that can cause cancer, liver, kidney, and
lung damage, birth defects, and impaired mental function, as well as impact the
environment through ozone depletion. Toxic substances commonly found in e-waste
include lead, mercury, arsenic, selenium, cadmium, and cobalt, as well as dangerous
chemical compounds such as polybrominated flame retardants in plastic,
polychlorinated biphenyls, hexavalent chromium, and various fluourcarbon compounds
that can harm the atmosphere.
The most recent reliable statistics available on e-waste are from the United Nations
University’s Global E-Waste Monitor report, which covers the year 2014 and puts the
worldwide total of e-waste generated annually at about 41 million metric tons, and
growing at about 4 percent per year. The United States is by far the biggest producer of
e-waste, generating nearly 7.1 million metric tons of e-waste, or about 24 kilograms per
person per year, followed by China with 6 million metric tons of e-waste annually.
The value of this vast amount of trash is potentially enormous, according to the UNU
report; if fully recycled, the annual amount of global e-waste would yield 16.5 million
metric tons of steel, 1.9 million tons of copper, about 220,000 metric tons of aluminum,
1,000 metric tons of silver, 300 metric tons of gold, about 100 tons of palladium, and
nearly 8.6 million tons of plastic.
The UNU report estimated the potential recycled value of global e-waste at 48 billion
euros annually, but pointed out that as of the end of 2013, only about half the world’s
population – about four in seven people – lived in countries with laws requiring
recycling of e-waste, and that only about 6.5 million metric tons, or about 16 percent of
the annual total is actually recycled.
Brain damage from ‘mind toys’
Even when e-waste is recycled it is not always done so safely, as the environment and
hazardous waste watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition recently revealed. The group
shared results of research by IPEN (a global civil society network promoting safe
chemicals policies and practices) and Arnika (an environmental organization in the
Czech Republic) showed that samples of Rubik’s Cube-like toys from 16 countries,
including the Philippines, contained toxic polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) called
OctaBDE and/or DecaBDE.
Both OctaBDE and DecaBDE are brominated flame retardant chemicals primarily used in
plastic casings of electronic products to make them more fire resistant. These chemicals
are known to disrupt human hormone systems, adversely impacting the development of
the nervous system and children’s intelligence.
Samples imported from China and sold by retailers in Manila were among the most toxic
of those tested by the European experts.
“Four of the 10 samples of Rubik‘s Cube-like toys imported from China that the
EcoWaste Coalition bought from retailers in Manila and shipped to the Czech Republic
for laboratory analysis were found to contain significant levels of OctaBDE and/or
DecaBDE,“ EcoWaste Coalition explained in a statement. “One of the samples from the
Philippines tested with the highest concentration of OctaBDE among 47 samples from
16 countries, including European Union, Eastern European and Southeast Asian
countries.“
“Puzzle toys similar to Rubik’s Cubes are supposed to promote children’s intelligence,
but the presence of brominated flame retardants from recycled e-waste creates quite
the opposite impact on children who play with them and the environment,“ Arnika‘s
Jitka Strakova, the study‘s lead coordinator, added.
Thony Dizon, who is the coordinator of EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect, said, “Our
discovery of banned chemicals from e-waste in common consumer products such as
toys is probably just the tip of the iceberg.
Considering the inadequate chemical safety regulations in place, it is likely that these
toxic substances are being recycled into a range of products that consumers are not
aware of.
“For the health of our children and workers, we urge our policy makers to grant no
recycling exemption for POPs (persistent organic pollutants) such OctaBDE and
DecaBDE. This dirty recycling, which often takes place in low and middle income
countries, is spreading poisons in recycling sites, in our homes and in our bodies,“ he
added.
How much e-waste?
The “recycling exemption” that EcoWaste Coalition’s Dizon touched on raises the
question of exactly how much potentially dangerous e-waste is handled in the
Philippines, which has the troubling answer that no one really seems to know.
According to the UNU global e-waste report, in 2013 the Philippines generated 127,000
metric tons of e-waste per year, about 1.3 kg per person. But the report also cautions
that in many countries, including the Philippines, accurate statistics are difficult to
obtain due to different measuring techniques, and data from the Environment
Management Bureau (EMB) seems to confirm that: According to the EMB, in calendar
year 2013, the Philippines generated 269,816 metric tons of “waste with inorganic
chemicals,” the broad classification under which e-waste was included at the time. In
2014, however, when the classification was changed to differentiate e-waste from other
forms of waste, EMB only recorded 69.9 metric tons; in 2015, only 1,623.2 metric tons
of e-waste was generated according to data supplied by the bureau.
In terms of how much e-waste is imported from other countries, the data is even more
uncertain, thanks to import classifications that allow an almost unlimited amount of e-
waste to enter the country.
“Presently DAO 2013-22 [DENR Administrative Order] allows the importation of
recyclable materials limited to the following: scrap metals; scrap plastics; electronic
assemblies and scrap; used oil and fly ash subject to certain limiting conditions and
compliance to EMB requirements. As long as DAO 2013-22 is in effect, importation of
recyclable materials is allowed,” the EMB said in a written response to an inquiry by The
Manila Times.
According to detailed data supplied by the EMB, however, virtually nothing that can be
properly described as e-waste is recorded in customs declarations as recyclable
material, but rather as used equipment. The records are fairly detailed, but give no
indication of what the disposition of the materials is after it arrives.
A breakdown of the EMB data for 2015 shows that South Korea is overwhelmingly the
main source of imported e-waste; last year, the country shipped 215,462 used
televisions or computer monitors to the Philippines, 53,060 used computers or
accessories, and about 200 used refrigerators or air conditioning units. Japan,
Singapore, Sweden, and Germany also contributed e-waste, most of it used photocopy
machines.
To be fair to the EMB, the bureau is exerting efforts to change to liberal regulations
under DAO 2013-22. EMB spokesperson Leonie Ruiz clarified, “EMB is currently
finalizing a proposed DAO on the ‘Guidelines on the Environmentally Sound
Management of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment.’ This has undergone several
consultations.”
The draft guidelines includes additional requirements on the importation of second-
hand or used electrical and electronic equipment such as signed declaration that
indicates that the second-hand or used equipment has been tested and is destined for
direct reuse and fully functional; information on the further user and the distributors or
retailers; and copies of certificates of testing or proof of functionality on every item
within the shipment.
UNIDO promotes e-waste management in the
Philippines3
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) discussed the
segregation of plastic components of e-wastes possibly contaminated with
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) with the Integrated Recycling Industries (IRI),
which was selected as facility partner for the project “Implementation of PCB
Management Programmes for Electric Cooperatives and Safe e-waste Management”.
Indeed, plastic components of electronics wastes such as TV sets and computer
monitors could be contaminated with Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs); they
therefore need waste segregation for proper disposal; UNIDO, in partnership with the
Environmental Management Bureau-Department of Environment and Natural Resources
(EMB-DENR) and with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) addresses
this issue with the project.
IRI will segregate plastic components of e-waste possibly contaminated with PBDEs.
Representative plastic samples with elevated concentrations of bromine will be analyzed
to determine the particular PBDE congeners that are present. PBDE-contaminated
plastics will eventually be disposed through co-processing in cement kilns to prevent
them from re-entering the recycling stream, thus averting secondary contamination.
PBDEs were once widely used as flame retardants for plastic casings of electrical and
electronic equipment but were found to be persistent organic pollutants (POPs), thus
listed under the Stockholm Convention on POPs for elimination.
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The Philippines Announces New Guidelines on
Electronic Waste4
The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), under the authority of the
Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), has just
published “Guidelines on the Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) of Waste
Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)”, which will apply to products classified
under ICS codes 13.030, 31.020, and 97.030.
The Philippines is an importer and exporter of electrical and electronic equipment
(EEE), both new and used, including scraps. With rapid global technological
advancements, there has been a related increase in electrical and electronic waste,
along with increased hazardous substances from the materials utilized in their
manufacture. To help mitigate risks to humans and their environment, the EMB has
developed this technical guidelines on the environmental management of WEEE, which
provides the compliance framework for all stakeholders involved in the life cycle of
technology products.
While the proposed date of adoption and entry into force has not been provided by the
Philippines government, the final date for the submission of any comments is March 31,
2016. The national inquiry point for questions and feedback on these changes is the
Bureau of Product Standards (BPS), which is under the authority of the Philippines
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The DTI website can be found at
[Link] .
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