Making E-Waste disposal easy, convenient, and hassle-free

 

Details

The Scale360° Philippines Project, through its e-waste (electronic waste) pillar, strives to advance a Circular Economy in the country by tackling the mounting issue of electronic waste. Annually, Filipinos discard more than 24 million mobile phones, with the majority lacking knowledge about proper e-waste disposal methods. The project's objective is to raise e-waste awareness, minimize e-pollution, and simplify the disposal and recycling process through a comprehensive online directory of e-waste drop-off points and the installation of disposal bins at affiliated establishments.

The e-waste pillar encompasses three sub-initiatives: E-Waste Drop-Off Points, Directory of E-Waste Drop-Off and Disposal Points in the Philippines, and an E-Waste Recycling Social Campaign. It aims to link Filipino consumers, junk shops, retailers, LGUs, and environmental offices via its online directory and e-waste disposal points. The project has initiated a pilot program in Cebu, featuring a public e-waste social campaign and disposal initiative in collaboration with various industry partners. The initiative seeks to bridge the gap between e-waste produced by individual consumers and local government treatment and disposal operations. The team collaborated with Ng Khai Development Corporation to design and fabricate disposal bins using recycled materials. The initial set of bins has been deployed at Ayala Center Cebu and Ayala Central Bloc, premier shopping hubs in the city.

By offering accessible e-waste disposal points, the initiative encourages proper disposal practices and diminishes e-pollution through a circular economy model. Additionally, the initiative entails developing an online directory, which presently lists 90 disposal and drop-off points across the Philippines, with intentions to further expand the collection. The initiative is also in the process of formalizing a partnership with a private telecommunications company accredited by the DENR for appropriate e-waste disposal.

The online directory has compiled 90 public and private LGUs and private sector treatment, storage, and disposal facilities, while social campaigns have reached over 1,700 individuals. Interviews conducted by the project team disclosed that Filipinos, especially younger generations, are intrigued by the e-waste disposal bins and more likely to engage in proper e-waste disposal if they observed others participating. Scale360° Philippines is committed to expanding the directory, situating more bins in strategic locations, and raising awareness about the significance of proper e-waste management.

The immediate outcome of these e-waste disposal points will be to lessen the volume of harmful e-waste improperly discarded in landfills. However, the primary impact of the initiative will be to raise consumer awareness of e-pollution reduction through a circular economy model. By streamlining the e-waste drop-off, collection, segregation, and disposal process for consumers via a user-friendly directory, our goal is to significantly enhance the adoption of proper disposal practices among the general public. This illustrates that in order to establish a circular system, the involvement and fulfillment of responsibilities by all stakeholders is crucial. Scale360 Philippines has launched a pioneering project that unites these stakeholders, showcasing the foundations of a circular electronics system in the Philippines.