Japan, Cebu ink e-waste research project MOA

CEBU, Philippines - Anticipating the hazardous effects of obsolete electronic waste (e-waste) stored at home, a Japanese firm and Cebu City local companies collaborated to collect unused cellular phones for proper disposal.

This is part of the six months e-waste research project which aims to introduce comprehensive methods to mitigate the adverse effects of e-waste into the environment and human health. The partners in the said project are Japan-based Nippon Magnetic Dressing Co. (NMD), City of Kitak-yushu in Japan, Cebu Common Treatment Facility Inc. (CCTFI)/ Cebu E-Resource Recovery Inc. (CERRI), and SM Prime Holdings Inc.

The project commenced  yesterday  following the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between Mayor Michael Rama and the said corporations.

Councilor Nida Cabrera who heads the City Council committee on environment said the research would give the city government a comprehensive program on how to properly manage and dispose electronic wastes, knowing Cebu as an economic zone in the country.

Cabrera said the inappropriate disposal of electronic wastes has to be corrected, pointing out that the current practices in the city are “inadequate and poses threats to public health and the environment.”

“This is an initial step towards the formulation of a comprehensive program to manage electronic wastes, which are considered ha-zardous,” Cabrera said.

Within the research period, the stakeholders with the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources will conduct an information drive to inform and educate households on the proper handling and disposal of toxic e-waste.

The city government through the legislative department is also expected to make legislative measures to “stop the illegal dumping and backyard dismantling of e-waste as well as strengthen the multi-stakeholder partnership to solve e-waste problem in the city.”

Rama said the program would further preserve the environment.  “I want to bring environmental preservation in Cebu with the proper management of e-waste. We should look beyond so that our children should not suffer from our wrong doings.”

Moreover, Cabrera encouraged the consumers to participate in the said undertaking in order to strengthen the management and disposal of e-waste in the city.

Barangays Mabolo and Hipodromo were chosen as pilot areas of the said project. These barangays will lead the collection of unused cellular gadgets within their respective jurisdictions.

To entice households, CCTFI/CERRI will be paying P10 every unit of cellular phones disposed through the “Trash to Cash” campaign every first Friday and Saturday of the month at SM Cebu and in the pilot barangays.

Likewise, e-waste bins or recovery boxes will be distributed and placed in SM mall particularly in cyberzone for the convenience of the public.

Engineer Teodoro Locson Jr. CCTFI/CERRI president said the collected e-wastes will be exported to NMD in Kitakyushu City “for the proper treatment of the e-waste.”

“Cellphone that are no longer useable should be properly disposed because it has components and parts like battery which secretes toxic chemicals that are harmful to the environment and our health. With the advent of new technologies, old cellphone will no longer be used,” Locson said.

The e-waste contains toxic substances like lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent, chromium, and several forms of brominated flame retardants.

SM City assistant mall manager Maria Teresa Mempin and barangay captain Petronilo Fat Jr. have supported the project in line with their advocacies on environment.

The project is in accordance to Republic Act 6969 (Toxic Substances and Ha-zardous and Nuclear Wastes Control of 1990), which mandates the regulation, restriction and disposal of hazardous wastes, such as process residues, contaminated plant or equipment, side-products, substances from manufacturing firms, among others.  (FREEMAN)