Various types of e-waste such as discarded computer parts are stored for dismantling at a junk shop in Caloocan City. Mel Agbin, ABS-CBN News

MANILA -- With many areas in the Philippines still lacking treatment, storage, and disposal (TSD) facilities for electronic waste or e-waste, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) advises the public to hold on to their e-waste and coordinate with their barangays for proper turnover of the potentially hazardous waste. 

"Store lang natin 'yan at makipag-coordinate po sila sa mga barangay para ma-store doon, and then 'yung mga barangay alam naman nila gagawin diyan," DENR Undersecretary Jonas Leones said. 

(We advise the public to store e-waste and coordinate with their barangays for proper storage. The barangays know what to do.) 

The barangays' next actions will involve the DENR's Environmental Management Bureau (EMB). 

"They will be just coordinating with our offices sa EMB bawat regions and then kami na po bahala dun...EMB will be coordinating with the TSDs para po makolekta at para po ma-treat," Leones added.

(They will coordinate with our EMB offices in each region. From there, EMB will handle the collection and treatment with the TSD facilities.) 

E-waste are broken or discarded electronic devices such as cell phones, computers, televisions, and others. 

These are known to contain harmful chemicals such as PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl). 

The chemicals, if not managed properly, can cause severe health and environmental risks, including cancer, according to DENR. 

The Philippines has been listed among the top e-waste generating countries in Southeast Asia by the Global E-waste Monitor 2024, next to Indonesia and Thailand. 

Filipinos generated a total of 537 million kilos of e-waste in 2022 or close to 5 kilos of e-waste per person, the monitor said. 

Environmental group Ban Toxics also advised Filipinos to separate their e-waste from other types of trash and avoid disassembling, burning, or dumping e-waste in vacant lots or throwing it in waterways. 

The DENR-EMB said it hopes to increase the number of registered TSD facilities in the country to cope with the amount of waste. 

There are currently 78 registered TSD facilities nationwide, 7 of them in the National Capital Region, the DENR-EMB said. 

"Imo-monitor natin yan kasi ngayon ito lang ang ating kailangan nating maparami 'yung ganyang facility," Leones said. 

(We will monitor this because right now, we need to increase the number of such facilities.) 

World 'losing the battle' against electronic waste, UN finds 

The DENR-EMB recently upgraded three Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) in Brgy. Bagong Silang in Caloocan, Brgy. Dampalit in Malabon, and Brgy. Bakekang in Baguio, to TSD facilities that now process e-waste. 

This is part of a seven-year project focused on hazardous waste with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), which wrapped up on Wednesday. 

It also provided technical training to e-waste dismantlers on how to safely handle and recycle hazardous materials. 

The Polychlorinated Biphenyl Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (PCB-WEEE) project focused on the safe disposal of PCBs, and proper handling of e-waste. Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the project was able to safely dispose over 100,000 cathode ray tubes (CRTs) from old televisions and monitors. 

"Ang ginagawa natin dito as much as possible, kinokolekta natin at nire-recyle natin. Kasi nung wala pa 'yung project itong old TV natin, old equipment natin na may mga e-waste tinatapon lang ito sa basurahan, sa landfill na walang treatment. Nilalagay sa mga tubig natin, napo-pollute 'yan," said Leones who also chairs the PCB-WEEE Project Steering Committee. 

(We collect and recycle e-waste as much as possible. Before this project, old TVs and equipment which had e-waste were just thrown into landfills without proper treatment, polluting our water sources.) 

As part of the project’s achievements, the non-combustion Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) facility in Bataan was upgraded to improve its capacity to handle PCB waste. 

Electrical cooperatives across the country also received assistance in implementing DENR-approved PCB management plans, contributing to the country’s commitment to the Stockholm Convention’s goal of eliminating PCBs by 2028. 

The DENR is encouraging local government units and private sectors to adopt similar e-waste management programs. 

"Ine-expect namin 'yung mga government units na mag-adopt din ng ganitong programa na ito, para ma-address nila 'yung kanilang problema sa e-waste," Leones said. 

(We expect government units to adopt similar programs to address their e-waste problems.) 

'Mindset change,' discipline needed for Filipinos to manage solid waste, says DOST