Environmental health groups EcoWaste Coalition and Greenpeace have nudged the Philippine government to ban the importation of electronic waste, or e-waste, like what Thailand has recently done.
A waste and pollution watchdog has urged the Philippine government to ban the importation of electronic waste as it noted that 53.6 million tons were generated of e-waste in 2019, according to a newly-released UN’s Global E-waste Monitor 2020.
A study has found harmful effects on human cells of dioxins in plastic children’s toys such as those made of black plastic, which is often obtained from recycled e-waste plastic with flame retardant chemicals.
Latest estimates show that the world now discards approximately 50 million tons of e-waste per year, greater in weight than all of the commercial airliners ever made or enough Eiffel towers to fill Manhattan.
Senator Nancy Binay has proposed the enactment of a law prohibiting the disposal of electronic devices and gadgets such as laptops, desktop computers, and flat TVs in any solid waste management facilities in the country.
