Environment group pushes for passage of e-waste law

TOXIC WORK Black smoke rises from a pile of burning copper wire, a commodity sought after by scavengers and junk shop owners. —KRISTINE ANGELI SABILLO/INQUIRER.NET

An environmental group on Thursday expressed support for a proposed law on the management of electronic waste (e-waste).

Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE) said Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Emmi de Jesus’ House Bill (HB) 5901, which seeks to reduce e-waste in the country, should be supported by President Rodrigo Duterte and other lawmakers.
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“The state should ensure all measures are carried out to provide its citizen a sound environment that is free from any health hazards,” Kalikasan PNE national coordinator Clemente Bautista said in a statement.

He said the proposed law will help the country reduce e-waste by “making waste management a public service while directing private manufacturers to take responsibility for their products from production to final disposal.”

The bill is based on the principle of “Extended Producer’s Responsibility” or EPR, which makes private companies accountable for disposal of their products once they reach their end-of-life term.

The EPR concept aims to decrease the environmental impact of e-waste while at the same time maximizing the use of its components until it can no longer be used, Kalikasan said.

Bautista said e-wastes produce chemicals harmful to people. The toxic substances found in e-wastes can cause cancer, organ damage, birth defects and impaired mental functions, according to the World Health Organization.

“Despite these, we have no comprehensive management of these wastes, poor communities and junk shop workers that manually deconstruct e-waste in dump sites have been the most vulnerable to its health hazards.” he said.

“Tons of imported e-wastes are dumped on our land, and as they are left to decay, its toxic chemicals eventually seep through our environment. Despite the Philippines being a signatory to the Basel Convention, which prohibits the transboundary movement of hazardous waste, these toxic wastes are still welcomed to our shores through the importation of EEEs,” said Bautista.

The group mentioned instances of “toxic dumping” or when e-waste was brought to the country in the guise of recycled materials from Japan and Canada.

To address this, HB 5901 proposes a ban on the importation of “end-of-life” electronic gadgets.

“The government should give priority to protecting our environment and not let private companies gain profit from keeping a blind eye on the destruction their products create on the environment and the people,” Bautista said. “We strongly urge President Duterte and the lawmakers to prioritize the enactment HB5901 as a step towards addressing the country’s growing problem on e-waste.”