From incinerator ash to used surgical gloves

From incinerator ash to used surgical gloves

Inquirer
Published on Page A1 of the October 25, 2006 issue of the
Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) mandates zero tariff for the following types of waste:
• Ash and residue (other than from the manufacture of iron or steel) containing arsenic, mercury, thallium or their mixtures, of a kind used for the extraction of arsenic or those metals or for the manufacture of their chemical compounds.
• Ash and residue from the incineration of municipal waste.
• Waste organic solvents -- halogenated.
• Pharmaceutical waste.
• Residual products of the chemical or allied industries.
• Municipal waste.
• Clinical waste, like used surgical gloves, adhesive dressing, gauze.
• Waste of metal pickling liquors, hydraulic fluid, brake fluid and antifreeze.
• Worn clothing and other worn articles, including rags, scrap twine, cordage, rope and cables of textile materials.
• Polychlorinated biphenyls.
• Halogenated chlorofluorocarbons .

These types of waste are among over 100 environmentally sensitive products, including chemicals, persistent organic pollutants and ozone-depleting substances that would not be taxed upon entry into the country as soon as the JPEPA takes effect.