“Community-based informal recyclers again took the lead in the retrieval of waste electrical and electronic equipment , popularly known as e-waste, from flood-stricken neighborhoods,” noted Jover Larion, community organizer and campaigner of the EcoWaste Coalition. “Their dedication to their job and their enterprising spirit led to the removal of some e-waste from the piles of disaster debris and trash to be hauled to landfills for disposal.
E-waste, which includes anything with a plug, electric cord or spent batteries, contains hazardous substances that can harm human health and the environment, including toxic metals like cadmium, hexavalent chromium, lead and mercury, and persistent organic pollutants like polybrominated diphenyl ethers and polychlorinated biphenyls .
The same report states that “e-waste in landfill contaminates soil and groundwater, putting food supply systems and water sources at risk.” The Caloocan City-based e-waste dismantlers then resold the cathode ray tube TVs to a government-supported storage and dismantling facility in Barangay Bagong Silang before being transported to the Integrated Recycling Industries, Inc. in Calamba City for proper recycling and disposal.