Globe, DENR, UNIDO and partners join hands for new recycling facility in Malabon City

The UN Environment Programme in its 2019 press statement said that more than 50 million tonnes of electronic waste (e-waste) are generated each year and less than 20% is formally recycled.  About 80% either end up in landfills or being informally recycled – much of it by hand – in developing countries, exposing workers to hazardous and carcinogenic substances such as mercury, lead and cadmium.

To help address concerns over informal e-waste processing and its associated risks to the people and environment, Globe joined a multi-stakeholder partnership that will put up the country’s second community e-waste Treatment, Storage, and Disposal (TSD) facility in Barangay Dampalit, Malabon City. The facility is expected to be inaugurated by late November 2021 and will start operations immediately after necessary technical training is completed.

Barangay Dampalit was selected as the new TSD site and the local e-waste pickers, led by their association -- Samahan ng Magbabaklas, will be trained on proper handling and dismantling of e-waste to discourage unconventional and harmful means of recycling.

The TSD project aims to process at least 10,000 cathode-ray tube (CRT) or glass video displays from TV and computer monitors collected from nearby barangays such as Longos, Malabon, and Capulong, Tondo. E-waste covers all electrical and electronic equipment and its components, now considered as one of the fastest-growing waste streams in the Philippines according to the DENR -Environmental Management Bureau.

Yoly Crisanto, Globe Chief Sustainability Officer and SVP for Corporate Communications explained the importance of community partnerships for this advocacy.  “We aim to help address the growing concern on e-waste and ensure that local communities will not be adversely affected. This new facility will help the informal e-waste recyclers by protecting them from environmental and health hazards,” she said.

Globe is providing fund support to construct the TSD facility. The company will also provide bins for additional e-waste drop-off points, facilitate the safe transport of non-CRT e-waste items to the DENR-accredited recycling facilities, co-develop communications and creative materials, and introduce affordable financial and health services such as GCash, G-Insure and KonsultaMD to identified informal e-waste pickers in Barangay Dampalit, Malabon City.

Globe’s involvement in the TSD project is part of the company’s E-Waste Zero Program, which actively promotes the safe and responsible disposal of e-waste since 2014. To date, Globe has collected more than 1.4 million kilograms of old and non-working electronic devices from its corporate offices and key facilities, customers, and partners.

The TSD facility will be established by the DENR – Environmental Management Bureau, through its project entitled “Implementation of PCB Management Programs for Electric Cooperatives and Safe e-waste Management”, with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and jointly implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Integrated Recycling Industries Philippines (IRI), Ecowaste Coalition, Globe, and the host local government unit of Barangay Dampalit, Malabon City.

“Protection of the environment cannot be done by the DENR alone. We need partners such as private entities, international organizations, and even other government entities,” said DENR Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and International Affairs, Atty. Jonas Leones, who underscored the importance of working together for a common goal during the ceremonial signing of the agreement held last June.

The UNIDO serves as the primary project proponent, ensuring end-to-end program implementation. It is a specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization, and environmental sustainability.

For its part, the IRI will provide training and technical support to the facility’s operations and ensure the implementation of best practices for e-waste management. Ecowaste Coalition will assist in the networking and awareness-raising activities with the communities of the informal e-waste recyclers while the local government of Barangay Dampalit will assist in converting their existing materials recovery facility into a DENR-accredited TSD facility.

Customers who would like to support the program and help divert e-waste to proper recycling facilities may drop their e-waste in participating Globe stores nationwide or request free door-to-door hauling of e-waste. Visit Globe’s Sustainability website https://www.globe.com.ph/about-us/sustainability/environment.html for complete information. Organizations wanting to partner with Globe may email bridgecom@globe.com.ph.

The company strongly supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly UN SDG No. 12 for sustainable consumption and production about achieving economic growth and sustainable development by urgently reducing our ecological footprint, and UN SDG No. 17 that highlights global partnerships for the goals. Globe is committed to upholding the United Nations Global Compact principles and contributing to 10 UN SDGs.

To know more about Globe, visit www.globe.com.ph.

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