A Gap Analysis in Selected Asian Countries, 3R Knowledge Hub ...

Findings
About five years ago, the Department of Health
(DoH) completed the acquisition of various
types of equipment (including 25 incinerators
and 36 small microwave units) for its hospitals.
The capacity of the incinerators ranges from 300
to 500 kg/day while that of microwaves ranges
from 84 to 144 kg/shift. Out of the 35 units
acquired for DoH facilities nationwide, four are
operational, 17 are functional but not
operational, and 14 are defective. The DoH
reported that 13 microwave units were installed
in Metro Manila but only one is operational.
The IWMI facilities charge between PHP 28 and
PHP 76 per kg of medical waste collected,
treated and disposed. Primarily, the price
difference is a function of distance from the
treatment facilities. The present incineration
facility operated by IWMl does not have air
pollution control equipment. Ash collected from
the combustion process is disposed on-site in a
cement vault. On the other hand, the company
providing disinfection by means of microwaves
has had formal complaints from neighbors
living near the site due to the generation of
unpleasant odors. Furthermore, the company
currently does not seem to have access to a
well-designed final disposal site.
E-WASTE
As far as e-wastes are concerned, no published
studies have been conducted to estimate its
volume and disposition in the country. It is
reported that over a span of 10 years, from 1995
to 2005, about 25 million units of televisions, air
conditioners, washing machines, refrigerators,
and radios became obsolete. It is projected that
by 2010, an additional 14 million will become
obsolete.
About two million units of Used Lead Acid
batteries (ULAB) are discarded each year. This
translates to 26,000 metric tons of discarded
lead, four million liters of used sulfuric acid
electrolyte, and a significant volume of plastics
that can be recycled. Because of the hazardous
chemicals in the ULABs, its management is
regulated by the Republic Act 6969, also known
as the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and
Nuclear Waste Control Act of 1990.
Most used lead acid batteries come from
automobiles, stand-by power supply and other
transportation equipment. As the suppliers have
the responsibility of managing ULABs, dealers
usually buy them back when customers make
new purchases. Recycling of ULABs is done to
recover its lead contents, which can be used in
the production of new batteries. The
escalating cost of lead importation has induced
the local industry to develop recycling
alternatives.
The Philippine battery recycling industry is
characterized by one dominant recycler
(Philippine Recyclers, Inc.), a few small licensed,
and therefore legitimate recyclers, and
thousands of unregulated cottage smelters
spread out all over the country. Only the
legitimate recyclers have the smelting
technology to properly process the scrap
batteries to recover metal from battery active
materials. The cottage smelters merely melt the
metal from batteries and indiscriminately
discard their waste non-metallic materials and
acid.
The Balik Baterya or battery trade-in program
involving more than 300 battery dealers of the
Ramcar Group strengthens the recovery of
ULABs. Similarly, scrap collection events in
industrial zones, commercial centers and
communities serve as promotional campaigns as
well as networking opportunities to develop
agreements with institutions for the committed
disposal of their scrap batteries through the
program. Partnerships with the small recyclers
are also being forged to allow them to become
more efficient suppliers of lead and lead bearing
materials.
Findings
Only very few facilities handle e-waste in the
Philippines. Five of them are small and
medium-sized facilities, two are transporters
and treaters while three are merely transporters.
In the two facilities, one does re-manufacturing
and dismantling of personal computers while
the other one reclaims nonferrous and precious
metals from the waste of the semiconductor
firms. These two companies are hardly enough
to cope with the large volume of e-waste
produced in the country along with imported
Chapter 3: Country Analysis
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