• CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
An ordinance establishing strict guidelines and regulations for the collection, handling, storage and disposal of electronic waste (e-waste) in Bacolod City, declaring e-waste as hazardous material, and requiring proper accreditation for all handlers and disposal entities, was recently approved by the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod on first reading.
An ordinance authored by Councilor Wilson Gamboa, Jr. imposing heavy penalties on the careless disposal of the e-wastes and other hazardous waste materials.
The ordinance authored by Councilor Wilson Gamboa, Jr. is to be called the “Bacolod City E-Waste Management and Hazardous Material Ordinance” and legally grounded on Republic Act No. 9003 (Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Administrative Orders classifying e-waste as special /hazardous waste, requiring special handling and disposal.
The proposed ordinance will be implemented by the Bacolod City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), City Health Office (CHO), General Services Office (GSO) and the City Mayor’s Office (CMO). It warned that irresponsible, careless and unauthorized disposal and collection of e-wastes and other hazardous waste materials shall be penalized from a minimum of P3,000 to a maximum of P50,000 with corresponding legal action, administrative sanctions, and criminal charges.
The proposed ordinance detailed e-waste (electronic waste) items as discarded, electrical or electronic like television, radios, computers, laptops, mobile phones, printers, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, electric fans, chargers, transformers, electric circuit boards, and used batteries, among others.
On the other hand, hazardous waste materials classified in said ordinance, are any solid, liquid, gaseous, or semi-solid waste that contains toxic, corrosive, reactive, or infectious elements classified by the DENR under RA 6969 (Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Waste Control Act of 1990).
Gamboa said that the increasing volume of e-waste and other hazardous waste materials poses a serious threat to human health and the environment due to the presence of toxic and hazardous substances.
He added that e-waste and other hazardous waste are life-threatening and highly toxic materials, so that, this ordinance aims to educate all public and private sectors, enable them to actively participate in the protection of the environment, care for their health and well-being, and align themselves with Bacolod City’s policy to ensure safety, environmental sustainability, lawful e-waste handling and consciousness that e-waste are highly hazardous wastes.
Gamboa cited in his proposed ordinance that all households, business establishments, schools, government offices, and institutions are strictly required to segregate and declare all e-waste for separate handling and that e-waste should not be mixed with regular city garbage or biodegradable/recyclable waste streams.
Likewise, all e-waste must be collected only by authorized and trained personnel, and said garbage collectors and haulers should not collect e-waste during regular garbage collection schedules.
The proposed ordinance also highlighted that only DENR-accredited e-waste collectors, facilities, or recyclers should be allowed to transport or dispose of e-waste in Bacolod City according to an official list posted in a public registry of authorized handlers through the Bacolod City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) and City Licensing Office.
All collected e-waste should be temporarily stored in designated storage facilities compliant with DENR and Department of Health (DOH) guidelines for hazardous waste, regularly monitored by the City Health Office and DENR and there should be no open burning, or informal dismantling of e-waste within the city.
Gamboa said that the final approval of this ordinance will transform Bacolod into a city that conscientiously addresses the life-threatening challenges of e-waste and will serve as a model city for sustainable urban waste management and environmental conservation.*
