SBMA defends e-waste recycling, says industry supports circular economy

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) defended the entry of electronic waste or e-waste shipments here, saying vital metals and other minerals can be extracted from these.

And allowing e-waste shipments is a necessary component of building capacity for a circular economy.

This was how SBMA officials responded to allegations from environmental groups that at least 234 containers of suspected e-waste and one container of plastic waste from the United States have entered the freeport since March last year.

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That is in possible violation of the Basel Convention, an international treaty governing the transboundary movement of hazardous waste.

Amethya Dela Llana, SBMA Deputy Administrator for Public Health, said recycling imported electronic materials should not automatically be equated with illegal waste dumping.

During a press conference on Tuesday, she showed samples of recycled materials recovered from the criticized shipments.

“Why do we allow the processing of e-waste? This is not unique to us. Recycling is done in many countries. In fact, in the electronics industry, this is what we call urban mining,” Dela Llana said.

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She said recovering valuable metals from discarded electronics reduces the need for new mining operations, which often result in irreversible environmental damage.

“If we don’t obtain these materials through recycling, then where will they come from? From the mountains, the forests, or mining,” Dela Llana said. ”For us, it is a more environmentally sound alternative than extracting raw materials,” she added.

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Dela Llana’s explanation marks the first time SBMA publicly articulated its policy for allowing the entry of e-waste for recycling amid the earlier uproar from environmental organizations.

While acknowledging the role of recycling in the circular economy, the coalition Environmental Task Force Against Illegal E-Waste Imports to the Philippines (END E-waste Imports) said their concern is centered on whether the shipments comply with Philippine laws and the country’s obligations under the Basel Convention.

The Philippines ratified the Basel Convention in 1993. Its coverage expanded with amendments that took effect on Jan. 1, 2025, requiring importers of electrical and electronic equipment, components and processing waste to secure the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) of the country before they can transport e-waste across borders, including materials intended for recycling.

Inspections

Dela Llana said a joint inspection conducted last week by the SBMA, the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) examined the entire recycling process inside the facilities following a July 6 inter-agency meeting that discussed the allegations and determine the government’s next steps.

SBMA Director Honorio Allado III stressed that the agency does not permit the entry of hazardous waste into the freeport.

He said: “We would categorically want to state that the agency does not allow the entry of hazardous waste and more so if anything that’s radioactive. That is definitely not allowed by the agency… The question really is: ‘Are we allowed to bring it into the Philippines?’”

But Jam Lorenzo, deputy executive director of BAN Toxics, another environmental coalition, on Wednesday asserted that any e-waste shipments entering the freeport violate the Basel Convention, describing the imports as “illegal traffic” under the international treaty.

He pointed out that such shipments from the US are prohibited under the Basel Convention because the US is not a party to the treaty.

Lorenzo also rejected the SBMA’s assertion that companies are importing recyclable materials, saying, “e-waste is waste, whether it is for recycling, recovery, or disposal.”

“The Basel Convention was created exactly to protect developing countries from being turned into waste receptacles for developed nations,” he said.

Administrative Order No. 2013-22 of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) classifies waste electrical and electronic equipment intended for recycling, dismantling, recovery or similar resource recovery activities as regulated hazardous waste requiring importer registration and import clearance from EMB.

According to Allado, shipments undergo post-entry monitoring, including laboratory testing by DENR-accredited facilities to determine whether imported materials contain hazardous substances. Authorities also conduct post-audits to account for imported materials, processed outputs and residual waste.

‘Accounted’

Allado said SBMA has monitored recycling operations since 2015 and claimed every shipment has been documented.

“We know what came in, how many tons, what went out, how many tons, what was left as residual waste,” he said. “Accounted for down to the gram.”

He added that no shipment tested positive for toxic or radioactive materials over the past decade.

However, Allado acknowledged that laboratory testing is conducted after shipments enter the freeport, instead of  before their arrival.

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He said the agency also screens materials before allowing them into recycling facilities based on existing regulations defining hazardous and prohibited waste. INQ /mr