Three-year partnership to protect WEEE recyclers in Manila

 “This project tackles an important and often neglected issue: the recycling of toxic solid waste in developing countries.” 
Françoise Weber

The Philippines had not considered the creation of a regulated sector to recycle air conditioners, refrigerators, CRT televisions, telephones, fans, etc. before 2017. Dismantlers of all ages, including children, extract valuable materials, mainly metals (copper, silver, aluminum, lead, etc.), from these materials. They sell them to local wholesalers (junk shops), who in turn sell them to regional wholesalers for export to developed countries where they are used as raw materials. Poor inhabitants of some barangays^[1] dismantle WEEE for additional income or as a main activity to support their families.
 
Cornerstone of the partnership between MdM and the Foundation
In 2012, Médecins du Monde asked the Veolia Foundation to conduct a fact-finding mission on waste recycling in Manila. Attention was focused on WEEE, Veolia providing the expertise of its subsidiary, Triade Electronique, which specializes in WEEE treatment. During this first mission, both partners learned about the working conditions of dismantlers and identified the risks related to their practices. For example, they break cathode ray tubes to recover the lead inside. This results in dangerous glass shards, greenhouse gas and CFC^[2] release, and lead taken into their bodies. By breaking other materials, pieces of metal scatter across the street. Dismantlers are therefore subject to two types of risk:

• Mechanical risks resulting from cuts and projections of metals.
• Risks of metal poisoning. The poisoning is direct or indirect when the metals (lead, cadmium, mercury, etc.) spread out in the environment or the water that dismantlers and their families drink.

The dissemination of prevention messages to workers on risks is greatly facilitated by this new organization. Volunteers from the Veolia Foundation formalized the messages in five modules which were then communicated to communities of dismantlers and local health authorities by the representatives of Médecins du Monde. It was also important to increase the awareness of the Philippine medical community about poisoning related to dismantling activities. The interaction between communities and health centers in barangays thus became more fluid.
 
Information, education, and training are the prerequisites to change daily practices. The Veolia Foundation financed personal protective equipment to reduce risks: gloves, goggles, and arm guards to be worn during dismantling. Screwdrivers were also distributed to unscrew cathode ray tubes rather than breaking them. An essential factor in changing practices was the creation of four Safe Dismantling Areas (SDAs) to be used instead of anywhere on the streets as before. Today, television cathode ray tubes are stored in dedicated cabinets, they are no longer strewn, broken, on the floor. 
 

In 2017, the situation of dismantlers has begun to change. In 2016, a law was passed against the obstruction of streets in the Philippines and the police conducted raids to evict dismantlers. SDAs are protected by tents which must be folded every day, a law is being prepared to make informal dismantling illegal and this activity will only be authorized in junk shops, the fall in commodity prices has made the activity less profitable, therefore, some dismantlers have turned to other sources of income, and, of course, Médecins du Monde and the Veolia Foundation do not plan to support an activity that is going to become illegal.
 
Improving the health and environment of urban populations
Becoming aware of risks to health and the environment and changing behavior: these objectives of the partnership have been achieved. In three years, the mission has fostered real changes: dismantlers have been structured into communities, information has been given on the risks involved and it has been taken into consideration in daily practices, and safe dismantling areas have been created. This partnership also marks the beginning of an innovative and fruitful cooperation between a large NGO and a private group. Very active in humanitarian emergencies, Veolia has proved its ability to transfer its skills to a long-term development assistance mission.
 
Médecins du Monde and the Veolia Foundation are working together to define a new program linked to protecting the environment and the health of urban populations: access to water, sanitation, waste collection, fire protection, and access to healthcare. As in all megacities in developing countries, there are pockets of poverty and wealth in Manila. Infrastructure exists but the poorest people do not have access to it. The same methodology will be applied, namely community structuring to increase the impact of the actions carried out. 
 

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^{[1] Administrative authorities, equivalent to boroughs.}