Increasing volumes of imported toxic and hazardous e-waste in countries like the Philippines come with significant risks to human health and environmental safety. The Philippines’ House of Representatives has called for an investigation into the issue.
Thanks to an administrative order from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), industrialized nations are exporting large amounts of potentially toxic e-waste, including old TVs, phones and computer parts, to developing countries. The Manila Times reports on the magnitude of this problem.
E-waste is increasingly becoming a problem, especially in developing countries like the Philippines. The discarded electronic goods from developed economies end up there in increasingly large quantities. The waste brings significant risks to human health and environmental safety to these countries.
This is one of the reasons why the Philippines’ House of Representatives just passed a resolution (see attachment to this news item), which directs the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources to investigate the increasing volume of imported toxic and hazardous e-waste in the country.
The Resolution resolves:
– “that the House of Representatives Committee on Environment and Natural Resources conduct an investigation, in aid of legislation, on the increasing quantity of imported toxic and hazardous electronic waste in the country”;
– … urge the Department of Natural Resources to recall DENR AO 2013-22 and in consultation with various environmental groups and stakeholders, create stern guidelines on the issuance of e-waste import clearance, proper handling, disposal, and recycling of electronic waste, taking into account the accountability of manufacturers and foreign waste exporters”;
– “that the House of Representatives Committee on Environment and Natural Resources recommend measures that would impose stiffer penalty on the illegal importation of electronic waste.”
The full resolution can be found in the attachment to this article.
Read more about the magnitude of the e-waste problem at the Manila Times.
[Download not found]
