Electronic waste (e-waste) is one of the fastest-growing waste streams worldwide – driven by technological change, short product lifecycles and rising consumption. In the Philippines, too, e-waste poses a growing environmental and health problem. In 2022, per capita production nationwide stood at around 4.7 kilograms – one of the highest figures in South-East Asia. However, in the highly urbanised city of Bacolod City (Negros Occidental), with a population of around 674,000, there is currently a lack of reliable data on the volume of e-waste, its material composition or recycling pathways.
Much of the e-waste in Bacolod City is processed informally or semi-formally by so-called junk shops and scrap dealers. These businesses are key, yet hitherto scarcely regulated, players in the local recycling ecosystem. They purchase mainly from households or informal collectors – many of whom are women – and pass the material on to supra-regional recycling networks. From a volume of around one tonne, collection is carried out by wholesalers, at which point traceability is no longer possible. It is equally unclear to what extent e-waste is actually part of this cycle. A significant proportion ends up alongside household waste at the municipal landfill in Barangay Felisa, where informal waste pickers recover metals and plastics under precarious conditions – without protective equipment, technical facilities or social security.
Furthermore, there is a lack of concrete strategies and knowledge regarding the proper handling and disposal of e-waste, the extraction of valuable materials, and their return to the recycling loop. Particularly among informal waste collectors and in junk shops, there is little awareness of environmentally sound and safe handling of e-waste and the disposal of hazardous materials.
Project objective
To create new, sustainable employment opportunities along the e-waste value chain – particularly for women in the informal waste sector (IWS).