E - waste: An electrifying problem

Probably your most coveted gift last Christmas (or Valentine’s Day) was some electronic gadget, right? Something some magnanimous loved one gave you or something you gave yourself as a reward because you were not naughty but truly nice last year, right?

 Online stores like Amazon and Esquire, the popular American magazine, ranked electronic gifts particularly high on their shopping lists for last Christmas. On top of people’s Christmas list last Christmas was the most coveted Apple iPad, followed by Xbox-360, Nintendo 3Ds, Call of Duty MW3, and Let’s Rock Elmo. Surely, the cuddly puppet Elmo’s still got that fire.

What do these gadgets of desire have in common? Well, they all have electronic components and, in the case of Call of Duty MW3, are an integral accessory to one.  They also have the same sad fate  the outmoded versions are either shoved to the back of a storage room, passed to another user or worse, they end up as e-waste.

And here’s more: Electronic gadgets and equipment also contain toxic components such as lead, cadmium, and brominated flame retardants, which are embedded in various parts of the gadgets  from the monitor to the circuit board, to the batteries.

Indeed, in this country, consumers share an insatiable appetite for electronic goods with those from Western countries.  In a survey conducted by Ban Toxics, an e-waste NGO watchdog group, 2,000 households out of 80 barangays in Cebu, for instance, showed that on average, a typical urban household will have at least two TV sets, two computers, and two mobile phones. Coming not too far behind are the rural households, where CFLs and linear fluorescent lamps are the main culprits behind the e-wastes generated by the region.  

Why the electrifying increase in household electronics?

 Blame it on the second-hand electronics or segunda mano from countries like Japan and South Korea. Surely, there’s a boom in these second-hand shops in both rural and urban centers selling a wide range of electronic products, from TV sets to air conditioners to desktop computers and even musical instruments. Available at cheap prices, these second-hand goods are the first things bargain hunters look for. 

But once these gadgets find their way into the waste bins, they end up in dumpsites or, worse, they’re burned, so notes a report on “the vanishing e-wastes (or electronic wastes) in the Philippines.” Ban Toxics notes with grave concern that most of these electronic equipment, once discarded, end up in dumpsites or, even worse, are burned. Under both Philippine and international laws, e-wastes are considered toxic.

E-wastes in the country are mixed with other garbage or are sold to junk shops for very primitive recycling techniques. Driven by poverty, folks would break or burn these devices to retrieve components such as copper wiring, which are then sold for recycling. 

The Basel Action Network, a US-based environmental justice group which has been tracking the e-waste issue since 2000, says, “E-waste encompasses a broad and growing range of electronic devices, ranging from big household devices such as refrigerators, air conditioners, and computers to cell phones, personal stereos, and consumer electronics which have been discarded by their users.” 

Ban Toxics is the Philippine affiliate of the Basel Action Network. It conducts research on e-waste and its impact on communities and the environment, aside from its programs on the elimination and storage of mercury.

This mounting mountain of e-wastes may seem harmless but a second hard look, says Atty. Richard Gutierrez, executive director of Ban Toxics, will reveal otherwise. “The combination of volume and toxicity makes e-waste an environmental time-bomb,” laments Gutierrez. “Unless proper steps are taken to educate the public, impose stringent responsibilities on manufacturers and disributors, fully engage national and local government on this issue, soil, water, and air contamination from e-waste will continue to plague Philippine cities and countryside.” 

To address this escalating problem, rich and developed nations have designed and adopted legislation to ensure the safe disposal of e-wastes as well as restrictions on the trade and dumping of e-wastes in developing countries such as the Philippines.  

On the home front, Gutierrez urges the government to immediately ratify the Basel Ban Amendment, an international treaty that prohibits the dumping of toxic wastes, like e-wastes, to developing countries such as the Philippines for disposal or recyling.

“A lot of these e-wastes coming to the country are from developed countries, and by ratifying the Basel Ban Amendment, the responsibility to police these illegal exports is placed on the country of export and not on the developing country,” Gutierrez points out. 

In addition, Ban Toxics admonishes the public to:

• Research. Know which companies produce safe and environmentally sustainable electronic gadgets. Websites such as those set up by Greenpeace have guides that rank the top electronics manufacturers according to their policies on toxics, recycling, and climate change. 

• Purchase electronics that have the “RoHS” logo. This means that the equipment complies with the European Union’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances directive that prohibits the sale of electronics that contain common toxins found in electronic gadgets. 

• Buy energy-efficient electronic products.  Less energy used means lesser power consumed. Which is good not only for Meralco but for the climate as well.

 • 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. 

• Look for electronics with rechargeable rather than disposable batteries. 

• Don’t dump or burn your e-waste. Look for reputable recyclers who can manage the toxic waste in an environmentally sound manner.

Perhaps if we follow the above advice, e-waste shouldn’t be such an electrifying problem. 

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