Residents turned over 645.1 kilograms of electrical and electronic waste, or e-waste, to the city government in just 13 days, reflecting growing public awareness of proper waste segregation, officials said Monday.

The City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) said the collected items included unserviceable printers, laptops, telecommunications equipment, laminators, monitors, insect killers and fax machines.

CEPMO Assistant Head Marivic Empiso said the items were weighed, inventoried, and brought to the Bakakeng Central Treatment, Storage and Disposal-Materials Recovery Facility (TSD-MRF) for safe dismantling.

E-waste may contain hazardous substances such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic that can seep into soil and contaminate water, posing health and environmental risks when they accumulate in the tissues of animals and humans, Empiso said.

Of the total collected, 544.9 kilograms came from 10 barangays between Aug. 31 and Sept. 13. The remaining 100.2 kilograms were collected during the Ecological Waste Management and Sustainability Fair held Sept. 11-13.

Mayor Benjamin Magalong said the city aims to reduce waste generation by at least 20 percent through its circular economy program, which promotes waste reduction, reuse, and repurposing.

“We aim to reduce waste generation by at least 20 percent through the expansion of the circular economy program,” Magalong said in a statement.

He said the city has adopted the “pansa-nopen tayo” framework, which seeks to make waste reduction, reuse and repurposing part of city policy, with the goal of generating value from materials that would otherwise end up in landfills.

The program is also expected to reduce the city’s annual hauling and tipping costs, which average PHP250 million, he said.

Magalong said the city is also incorporating lessons on proper waste management and segregation into school programs to help young people develop habits of waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and responsible consumption.

Residents may bring their e-waste to the Bakakeng Central TSD-MRF outside the regular eco-fairs, according to CEPMO advisories.

The city government may also arrange pickup of bulk or bulky e-waste upon coordination with residents, with the materials to be brought to the TSD-MRF. (PNA)