EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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First Regular Session 
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S E N A T E
'm.i- cfi K
•19 JULll P4:17
Introduced by Senator Francis "Tol" N. Tolentino
AN ACT
REGULATING THE DISPOSAL OF ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT AT SOLID 
WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILITIES AND REQUIRING THE ESTABLISHMENT 
OF RECOVERY AND COLLECTION FACILITIES THEREFOR
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The rapid development of technology in almost all aspects of human life has 
given us a vision of the world's potential in the coming years. However, it also means 
that we are witnessing more electronic equipment, appliances and gadgets being 
produced then disposed without the intent to reuse them. In the Philippines, the 
improper disposal of what is collectively called e-waste has been a perpetual major 
waste-management problem of the Philippines despite relevant laws for hazardous 
waste such as the aforementioned.
E-waste contains toxic substances and contents such as mercury, lead, 
cadmium and persistent organic pollutants, which are deterrent to health and 
environment. Because of this, e-waste and other hazardous waste require special 
disposal system or process.
According to a report released in December 2017 by the International 
Telecommunication Union, the United Nations University and the International Solid 
Waste Association, each Filipino produces two to five kilos of e-waste that are not 
being segregated and recycled.


The Constitution, Article 2, Section 16, provides that "The State shall protect 
and advance the right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology in accord with 
the rhythm and harmony of nature."
To affirm this constitutional mandate, this bill seeks to prohibit the disposal of 
e-waste in solid waste management facilities and to require the recycling and reuse 
of appliances, gadgets, electronic equipment and the like.
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought.1
FRANCIS "TOL" N. TOLENTINO
Senator
1 This bill was originally filed by the late Senator M iriam  Defensor Santiago during the Fourteenth Congress, Third 
Regular Session and refiled during the Sixteenth Congress, Third Regular Session.


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
)
S E N A T E  
S. No. 402
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JU Lll 
P4T7
RECEIVtl'Sv __
Introduced by Senator Francis "Tol" N. Tolentino
AN ACT
REGULATING THE DISPOSAL OF ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT AT SOLID 
WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILITIES AND REQUIRING THE ESTABLISHMENT 
OF RECOVERY AND COLLECTION FACILITIES THEREFOR
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House o f Representatives o f the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
Section 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the "E-Waste Management
Act."
Sec. 2. Policy. — It is the policy of the state to protect the environment from 
the hazards of the improper disposal of obsolete electronic equipment, encourage the 
responsible manufacturing and sale thereof, and assist consumers in the recycling and 
disposal of their electronic waste.
Sec. 3. Definition o f Terms. — As used in this Act, the term -
(A) Brand - refers to the name, symbol, logo, trademark, or other 
information that identifies a product rather than the components of the 
product;
(B) Consumer - refers to an individual who uses an electronic equipment 
that is primarily for personal or home business use;
(C) Department - refers to the Department of Environment and Natural 
Resources;


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{U)Electronic Equipm ent- refers to desktop or laptop computer, computer 
monitor, portable computer, cathode ray tube, flat panel-based 
television, tablet, or cellular phone.
(E) Manufacturer- refers to a person who -
a. Manufactures or manufactured electronic equipment under a 
brand that:
i. The person owns or owned; or
ii. The person is or was licensed to use, other than under a 
license to manufacture electronic equipment for delivery 
exclusively to or at the order of the licensor;
b. Sells or sold electronic equipment manufactured by others under 
a brand that;
i. The person owns or owned; or
ii. The person is or was licensed to use, other than under a 
license to manufacture electronic equipment for delivery 
exclusively to or at the order of the licensor;
c. Manufactures or manufactured electronic equipment without 
affixing a brand;
d. Manufactures or manufactured electronic equipment to which the 
person affixes or affixed a brand that:
i. The person does not or has not owned; or
ii. The person is not or was not licensed to use; or
e. Imports or imported electronic equipment manufactured outside 
the Philippines into the Philippines unless at the time of 
importation the company or licensee that sells or sold the 
electronic equipment to the importer has or had assets or a 
presence in the Philippines sufficient to be considered as the 
manufacturer;
(F) Television -  refers to any telecommunication system device that can 
receive moving pictures and sound broadcast over a distance and 
includes a television tuner or a display device peripheral to a computer 
in which the display device contains a television tuner.


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Sec. 4. Exceptions. — This Act shall not apply to -
(A) Televisions as defined in Section 3, any major part of a moving vehicle, 
or telephones;
(B) A consumer's lease of electronic equipment or a consumer's use of 
electronic equipment under a lease agreement; or
(C) The sale or lease of electronic equipment to an entity when the 
manufacturer and the entity enter into a contract that effectively 
addresses the collection, recycling, and reuse of electronic equipment 
that has reached the end of its useful life.
Sec. 5. Requirements. —
(A) Before a manufacturer, as defined in Section 3, may offer electronic 
equipment for sale, the manufacturer shall -
a. Adopt and implement a recovery plan;
b. Submit a written copy of the recovery plan to the department; 
and
c. Affix a permanent, readily visible label to the electronic equipment 
with the manufacturer's brand.
(B) The recovery plan shall enable a consumer to recycle electronic 
equipment without paying a separate fee at the time of recycling and 
shall include provisions for:
a. The manufacturer's collection from a consumer of any electronic 
equipment that has reached the end of its useful life and is 
labeled with the manufacturer's brand; and
b. Recycling or reuse of electronic equipment collected under the 
recovery plan of this subsection.
(C) The collection of electronic equipment provided under the recovery plan 
shall be:
a. Reasonably convenient and available to consumers; and
b. Designed to meet the collection needs of consumers.
Sec. 6. Standard Coiiection Methods. — The collection methods shall include a
system:


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(A) By which the manufacturer or the manufacturer's designee offers the 
consumer the option for returning electronic equipment by mail at no 
charge to the consumer;
(B) Using a physical collection site that the manufacturer or the 
manufacturer's designee keeps open and staffed and to which the 
consumer may return electronic equipment; and/or
(C) Using a collection event held by the manufacturer or the manufacturer's 
designee at which the consumer may return electronic equipment.
Collection services under this Act may use existing collection and consolidation 
infrastructure for handling electronic equipment and may include systems jointly 
managed by a group of manufacturers, electronic recyclers and repair shops, recyclers 
of other commodities, 
reuse organizations, 
non-profit corporations, retailers, 
recyclers, and other suitable operations. If a manufacturer or its designee offers a 
mail-back system as described here, either individually or by working together with a 
group of manufacturers or by working with others, it shall be deemed to meet the 
convenience requirements of this section.
Sec. 7. Information Requirement — The recovery plan shall include information 
for the consumer on how and where to return the manufacturer's electronic 
equipment. The manufacturer;
(A) Shall 
include collection, recycling, and 
reuse information on 
the
manufacturer's publicly available Internet site;
(B) Shall 
provide collection, recycling, and 
reuse information to 
the
Department; and
(C) Shall 
include collection, recycling, and 
reuse information in 
the
packaging for or in other materials that accompany the manufacturer's 
electronic equipment when the equipment is sold.
Sec. 8. Reporting Requirement — Each manufacturer shall submit a report to 
the Department not later than January thirty-first of each year that includes:
(A)The weight of electronic equipment collected, recycled, and reused 
during the preceding calendar year; and


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(B) Documentation certifying that the collection, recycling, and reuse of 
electronic equipment during the preceding calendar year were 
conducted in conformity with sound environmental management.
Sec. 9. Compliance by More Than One Manufacturer. — If more than one 
person is the manufacturer of a certain brand of electronic equipment, any of those 
persons may assume responsibility for and satisfy the obligations of a manufacturer 
for that brand. If none of those persons assume responsibility or satisfies the 
obligations of a manufacturer, the Department may consider any of those persons to 
be the responsible manufacturer for purposes of this Act.
Sec. 10. Other Prohibitions.—
(A) A person who is a retailer of electronic equipment shall not sell or offer 
to sell new electronic equipment unless the equipment is labeled with 
the manufacturer's label and the manufacturer is included on the 
Department's list of manufacturers that have recovery plans. The 
Department shall keep a database in its Internet site of the 
manufacturers that are on its list of manufacturers with recovery plans;
(B) No person shall knowingly dispose of any electronic equipment in mixed 
solid waste; and
(C) No Solid Waste Management Facility shall knowingly accept for disposal 
or incineration of any electronic equipment, or any truckload or container 
of solid waste which includes electronic equipment.
Sec. 11. Penalties. — The Department shall assess a penalty against a 
manufacturer that does not comply with the requirements set forth in Sections 5 to 9 
of this Act. No penalty shall be assessed for a first violation. The penalty shall not be 
less than one hundred thousand pesos (PhplOO,000.00) but not more than one million 
pesos (Phpl,000,000.00) for the second and each subsequent violation.
Any violation of Section 10(A) shall be punished with a fine of fifty thousand 
pesos (PhpSO,000.00). Any violation of Section 10(B) of this Act shall be punished with 
a fine of twenty thousand pesos (Php20,000.00) or imprisonment of not less than one 
month but not more than three months. Any violation of Section 10(C) of this Act shall 
be punished with a fine of fifty thousand pesos (Php30,000.00) and revocation of the 
license of the Solid Waste Management Facility.


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Public officers responsible for any of the abovementioned violations shall
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be personally liable for the imposable fine.
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Sec. 12. E-Waste Recycling Fund. — Any penalty collected under the preceding
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section shall be credited to the "E-Waste Recycling Fund," which is hereby created,
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and the money collected from this fund shall be used for the purpose of funding the
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administrative requirements of this Act. Any amount remaining at the end of every
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two years shall revert to the National Treasury.
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Sec. 13. Auditing and Inspection Powers. — The Department is empowered to
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conduct audits and inspections to determine compliance with this Act.
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Sec 14. Recycling o f Collected Equipment — All electronic equipment collected
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under this Act shall be recycled or reused in a manner that complies with the standards
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to be set by the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources provided that its
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cost is reasonable and environmentally sound.
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The Department shall conduct research and make use of the best available
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technology in the disposal of electronic equipment consistent with the principles in the
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Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.
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Sec. 15. Roie o f the Local Government Units. — Cities and Municipalities, In
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coordination with the Department and the manufacturers, consistent with the
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principles in the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, shall assist in the collection
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and disposal or recycling of electronic equipment through their respective solid and
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special waste management programs.
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Sec. 16. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — The Secretary shall
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promulgate the rules and regulations to implement this Act within ninety (90) days
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from the effectively of this Act.
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Sec. 17. Separability Clause. —If any provision or part thereof is held invalid or
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unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall
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remain valid and subsisting.
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Sec. 18. Repealing Clause. — Any law, presidential decree or issuance,
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executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule, or regulation contrary
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to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or
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amended accordingly.


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Sec. 19. Effectivity Clause. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after
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its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved,