Philippines Bill Would Mandate EPR for 537,000-Tonne E-Waste Stream

The Philippines generated approximately 537,000 tonnes of electronic waste in 2022 alone — more than 13,000 fully loaded 40-ton trucks — and a lawmaker wants Congress to answer that tonnage with a full regulatory system rather than piecemeal rules.

Parañaque 2nd District Representative Brian Yamsuan has filed House Bill 11462, the proposed National E-Waste Management Act, to fast-track a comprehensive framework covering the collection, recycling and disposal of the country's discarded electronics. The bill targets a material stream that existing laws barely touch.

Yamsuan noted that current environmental statutes govern municipal solid waste, toxic substances, and hazardous and nuclear wastes, but hardly establish a framework for the country's mounting e-waste burden. Without clear standards, he warned, improperly discarded electronics could become a public health problem and an environmental threat.

The material at issue is broad. The bill defines e-waste as discarded computers, mobile phones, appliances, spare parts, and fast-tech gadgets — cheap cables, USB adapters, single-use vapes, mini-fans, powerbanks and electronic novelty items. Improper disposal releases lead, mercury, cadmium and other hazardous substances into air, soil and water.

"We should not wait for this problem to become as large as a mountain, especially now that technology and our electronic devices are being replaced so quickly," Yamsuan said. "In this digital world, we need a comprehensive system that would strictly regulate how we collect, reuse, and dispose of e-waste before this problem turns into a crisis."

What would the bill require?

HB 11462 assigns the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as lead agency, regulating and enforcing rules on the segregation, collection, transport, storage, reuse, recycling and disposal of e-waste.

The measure institutionalizes Extended Producer Responsibility. Manufacturers, brand owners and importers must establish or join systems for the recovery, recycling or safe disposal of electronic products they introduce to the Philippine market.

Local government units carry their own mandates:

• Integrate e-waste collection into local solid waste management plans
• Establish designated e-waste materials recovery facilities or collection points
• Conduct public information campaigns on proper e-waste disposal

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) would enforce mandatory product labeling, set component standards for reusability, and monitor compliance among Electrical and Electronic Equipment retailers and distributors.

How would the informal sector fit in?

The bill explicitly targets the domestic recycling and resource recovery industry as a jobs engine. It provides for the training of junk shop operators and other workers engaged in informal recycling, along with appropriate safety equipment and accreditation, integrating them into formal collection and recycling supply chains.

"This proposed measure is therefore a whole-of-nation approach to this growing problem," Yamsuan said. "It aims to turn e-waste from being an emerging environmental and health liability into an opportunity for responsible innovation and a more circular economy."

What incentives and penalties apply?

Registered firms and accredited e-waste Treatment, Storage and Disposal (TSD) facilities would receive fiscal incentives under the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act.

The bill also creates an E-Waste Management and Innovation Fund under the DENR, financed through administrative fines, fees and voluntary contributions. The fund would be strictly used for research and development of sustainable electronics, LGU infrastructure subsidies, and capacity building for the informal sector's transition.

Prohibited acts include indiscriminate disposal or open burning of e-waste, non-compliance with EPR obligations, and the operation or illegal dismantling of an unaccredited TSD facility.

Penalties scale with severity. Fines run from P10,000 to P2 million, with community service, suspension of business permits and imprisonment of two to six years.

Why the pressure is regional

The Philippines ranks among the top e-waste producers in Southeast Asia, according to the Global E-Waste Monitor 2024 published by the United Nations. The 537,000-tonne figure for 2022 comes from independent studies cited in the bill's framing.

The milestone to watch is committee action in the House. HB 11462 now sits with Congress, where Yamsuan has urged colleagues to fast-track approval. Passage would hand DENR its first comprehensive e-waste enforcement mandate and impose EPR obligations on every electronics producer and importer selling into the Philippine market.