Professional Documents
Culture Documents
the Philippines
By Charles Tito R. Aguilar
JD 4203
What is E-waste?
What is E-waste?
E-Waste (electronic waste) is the term used to describe the rapidly growing
stream of waste from discarded electronics and appliances. These items
include anything from computers, TVs and phones to washing machines and
refrigerators to everything else in between. Most of these electronics or
appliances are often not trash, but simply outdated and traded up for the
latest version on the market.
In addition to RA 9003, Republic Act No. 6969, also called the Toxic Substance
and Hazardous and Nuclear Waste Act of 1990, seeks to, among others, with
regard to chemical substances and mixtures that present an unreasonable risk
or injury to health or the environment to regulate, restrict or prohibit the
importation, manufacture, processing, sale, distribution, use and disposal
thereof. With regard to hazardous and nuclear wastes RA 6969 seeks to
prevent the entry, even in transit, as well as the keeping or storage and
disposal of hazardous and nuclear wastes into the country for whatever
purpose.
The Basel Convention was created in 1989 by the United Nations Environment
Program to help control the transboundary movements of hazardous wastes
and their disposal and currently includes over 180 participants and which the
Philippines is a signatory. One stipulation the treaty ensures, is that before
the export of hazardous waste can occur, sending parties must confirm that
waste will be managed in an environmentally safe manner in the country of
import.
According to the most recent report released by the United Nations University
(UNU) on e-waste, findings show that globally we produced 41.8 million tons
of e-waste in 2014. Even more startling -- it is believed that less than onesixth is properly recycled or reused.
An issue of toxicity
An issue of volume
The DENR has a list of accredited companies that provide recycling services
for e-waste, which is considered special waste. They are called Treatment,
Storage, and Disposal (TSD) facilities.
Malls have e-waste collection days to allow mall-goers to bring all their
unwanted electronics. SM has its Trash to Cash Recycling Market and Ayala has
its Recyclables Fair. A person can bring old batteries, old cassettes, old
appliances that are no longer working and there are people who come and
buy them from you in bulk.
While we all have busy lives, we can still do our part to help. For instance, we
can easily implement the three R's we learned in school.
Purchase electronics that have the RoHS logo. This means that the
equipment complies with the European Unions Restriction of Hazardous
Substances directive that prohibits the sale of electronics that contain
common toxins found in electronic gadgets.
Look for brands with good warranty and take-back policies. Reputable
manufacturers should stand behind the products they sell.
Go for quality, not quantity. Most of the cheap items will wear out after a few
months. Buying a product of good quality is a much better investment and
better for the environment, too.
Dont dump or burn your e-waste. Look for reputable recyclers who can
manage the toxic waste in an environmentally sound manner.