MILLIONS of kilograms worth of discarded mobile phones, solar panels and other electrical equipment has made the Philippines one of the largest producers of e-waste in Southeast Asia, according to the latest report released by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (Unitar) and International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Based on the Global E-Waste Monitor 2024, Unitar said there were 537 million kilograms of e-waste in the Philippines, translating to 4.7 kilograms of e-waste per capita in 2022. E-waste consists of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) which include items that have circuitry or electrical components and a power or battery supply.
The Philippines is second only to Indonesia, which had 1.886 billion kilograms of e-waste and translated to 6.9 kilograms of discarded electronic products per capita. In terms of per capita e-waste, the Philippines is 6th out of the 10 Asean countries, with Singapore having the highest number of 20.3 kilograms per capita of e-waste.
“Amidst the hopeful embrace of solar panels and electronic equipment to combat the climate crisis and drive digital progress, the surge in e-waste requires urgent attention,” Unitar Executive Director Nikhil Seth said.
Based on Unitar data, there are six classifications of EEEs—temperature exchange equipment; screens and monitors; lamps; large equipment; small equipment; and small IT and telecommunication equipment.
“No more than one percent of demand for essential rare earth elements is met by e-waste recycling. Simply put: Business as usual can’t continue,” GEM lead author Kees Baldé said in a statement.
“This new report represents an immediate call for greater investment in infrastructure development, more promotion of repair and reuse, capacity building, and measures to stop illegal e-waste shipments. And the investment would pay for itself in spades,” he added.
Globally, the report said 62 million tonnes of e-waste generated in 2022 would fill 1.55 million 40-tonne trucks, roughly enough trucks to form a bumper line encircling the equator.
The report said less than one quarter or 22.3 percent of the year’s e-waste mass was documented as having been properly collected and recycled in 2022.
This leaves $62 billion worth of recoverable natural resources unaccounted for and increasing pollution risks to communities worldwide.
“From discarded televisions to dumped telephones, an enormous amount of e-waste is generated around the world. The latest research shows that the global challenge posed by e-waste is only going to grow,” ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau Director Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava said.
“With less than half of the world implementing and enforcing approaches to manage the problem, this raises the alarm for sound regulations to boost collection and recycling,” he also said.
Based on the data, some 33 percent or 20.4 million tonnes of e-waste are made up of small devices such as toys, microwave ovens, vacuum cleaners, and e-cigarettes. Only 12 percent of these are recycled.
Per the report, 4.6 million tonnes of e-waste are in the small IT and telecommunication equipment category such as laptops, mobile phones, GPS devices, and routers. Only 22 percent of these have been documented to have collection and recycling rates. Further, the data showed 2.4 million tonnes is the expected mass of retired photovoltaic panels in 2030, four times as much as the 600,000 tonnes in 2022.
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