Lead-Acid Battery Waste Pollutes Filipino Communities

In the Philippines, the informal recycling of used lead-acid batteries (ULABs) is not a fringe activity — it is a widespread industry that likely handles around half of all batteries collected in the country. Research conducted in mid-2025 by the Lead Acid Battery Recycling Initiative (LABRI) estimates that approximately 50 percent of ULABs are processed outside formal channels. That figure translates into thousands of tonnes of lead being handled in backyards, junkshops, and unregistered compounds, often in densely populated areas of Metro Manila. For communities living near these sites, the health risks are not theoretical — they are measurable in children’s blood.

These numbers come from two parallel streams of work. Pure Earth has been assessing toxic sites in the Philippines since 2008, and its surveys have found that over 150 toxic sites have been assessed, with more than a quarter contaminated by lead. Meanwhile, the 2021–2022 Expanded National Nutrition Survey (ENNS), which tested 2,932 children aged 6–9 across 25 areas, revealed that 8.76 percent had blood lead levels (BLLs) exceeding 3.5 µg/dL — a threshold linked to measurable cognitive impairment. Extrapolated nationally, that means an estimated 1.05 million children may already have elevated lead in their blood. The problem is not abstract, and it is not evenly distributed. It clusters around the places where informal battery recycling happens. For a broader look at how industrial waste travels through ecosystems, you can read our earlier piece on industrial waste’s impact on Philippine ecosystems.

How Informal ULAB Recycling Works — and Why It Pays More

The economics of informal recycling explain a lot. In Metro Manila, ULABs move through two main channels. One is the network of battery retailers tied to the dominant manufacturer, Motolite. The other is junkshops, which sell to collectors operating on the informal market. When researchers from LABRI visited 17 ULAB buyers across five cities in Metro Manila, they found that junkshops pay an average of PHP 200 more per battery than formal retailers — a premium of over 50 percent. That price difference is the engine driving the informal market. For someone selling a used battery, the choice is simple: take it to a retailer for less, or sell it to a junkshop for significantly more. The consequence is that a large share of batteries never reach formal recyclers who follow environmental and safety regulations.

Once a battery reaches an informal recycler, the process is straightforward and dangerous. Workers drain the acid into drains or onto the ground, then break open the casing by hand to extract the lead plates. This releases fine lead dust into the air and onto surfaces. The lead is then sold to smelters — some formal, some not. LABRI researchers were unable to directly observe illegal smelting, but they concluded it is happening at scale based on trade data analysis, public videos of smelting activity in closed compounds, and second-hand reports from industry players. The data shows that more than 85 percent of exported lead had been smelted, and the total volume exported far exceeded what known formal recyclers could produce. That gap is filled by informal smelters.

Health Data and Policy Response: What the Numbers Show

The health data coming out of the Philippines is still limited, but it is getting more detailed. The 2021–2022 ENNS survey was the first time the government included blood lead testing in a national nutrition survey. The results were sobering: 8.76 percent of children aged 6–9 had BLLs above 3.5 µg/dL, a level that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention uses as a reference value for population-level action. That translates to an estimated 1.05 million children nationwide. Feedback and health consultations were provided to over 300 local government units (LGUs), but the scale of the problem far exceeds the current capacity to respond.

Policy has started to catch up. In 2023, the Inter-Agency Committee on Environmental Health (IACEH) prioritized lead exposure as part of the National Environmental Health Action Plan (NEHAP) 2023–2030. That same year, the 2023–2024 ENNS expanded blood lead testing to all 117 survey areas, aiming to establish a national baseline for children aged 6–9. USAID committed $125,000 for testing, though costs could rise if more sensitive methods like ICP-MS analysis are used. The most concrete local action has come from Valenzuela City, which launched a pilot program in 2024 to institutionalize local lead monitoring, focusing on children with disabilities. Supported by City Resolution No. 3197, the program includes BLL screening using LeadCare analyzers, home-based exposure assessments, and referral systems. Initial tests found three out of 29 children with elevated BLLs — a small sample, but enough to demonstrate that the problem exists even in areas not previously flagged as high-risk. In October 2025, Valenzuela became the first city in the country to launch a city-led blood lead surveillance program, and it passed a Lead Exposure Prevention and Child Protection Ordinance. For more on how local communities are organizing around pollution issues, see our article on community-led solutions to pollution.

What Gets Missed: The Export Market, the Price Gap, and the Regulatory Blind Spot

Most discussions about informal ULAB recycling focus on the immediate health risks — the lead dust, the contaminated soil, the children with elevated BLLs. Those are real and urgent. But three structural factors make the problem harder to solve than it first appears.

The export market drives informal smelting

Public export data shows that Philippine lead exports more than tripled between 2018 and 2023, from roughly 9,000 tonnes to 31,500 tonnes. Industry figures interviewed by LABRI attribute this growth to higher prices offered by international buyers, particularly in India and China. The implication is clear: even if the Philippines tightened domestic regulations, the demand from overseas markets would continue to pull lead out of informal smelters. Any solution has to account for the fact that the informal sector is not just serving local needs — it is plugged into a global supply chain.

The price premium is not going away on its own

Informal collectors pay PHP 200 more per battery than formal retailers. That is not a small gap — it is a 50 percent premium. Formal recyclers have higher operating costs because they follow environmental regulations, pay for proper waste treatment, and maintain safer working conditions. As long as informal collectors can offer significantly more money, sellers will choose them. Closing that gap would require either subsidizing formal collection to make it competitive, or enforcing penalties severe enough to deter informal sales — neither of which is easy to implement at scale.

Regulation exists but enforcement is thin

The Philippines has laws governing hazardous waste management, including the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act. But enforcement is uneven. LABRI researchers identified a metals merchant that claims to recycle ULABs, exports lead ingots, and does not have the necessary approvals. They also found that the quantity of lead exported exceeds what known formal recyclers can produce — meaning unregistered smelters are operating without permits. The gap between law and practice is wide, and closing it requires resources and political will that have been in short supply.

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What Can Be Done: Policy Levers and Practical Steps

The LABRI researchers concluded that certain features of the Philippine market make Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) or deposit schemes particularly promising. The reasoning is straightforward: the market for new lead-acid batteries is dominated by just two companies. That concentration means a well-designed EPR system could cover a large share of batteries without needing to coordinate with dozens of small players. Here is what that could look like in practice.

Extended Producer Responsibility for battery manufacturers

An EPR system would require battery manufacturers and importers to finance the collection and proper recycling of ULABs. The cost would be built into the price of new batteries, creating a funding stream for formal collection. The key design question is how to make formal collection competitive with informal prices. If the EPR fee is set too low, it will not close the PHP 200 gap. If it is set too high, it could push more consumers toward the informal market. Getting the price right requires data on collection costs, recycling costs, and the price elasticity of battery sellers.

A deposit system for used batteries

A deposit system works differently: consumers pay a small refundable deposit when they buy a new battery, which they get back when they return the used one to an authorized collection point. This creates a direct financial incentive to use formal channels. The deposit amount needs to be at least as high as the PHP 200 premium that informal collectors currently offer. That is a significant sum — roughly 10–15 percent of the price of a new battery — but it is the level needed to shift behavior at scale.

Targeted enforcement in known hotspots

While systemic solutions like EPR and deposit schemes address the root causes, enforcement in high-risk areas can reduce immediate harm. The Valenzuela City pilot program offers a model: local ordinance, targeted BLL screening, home-based exposure assessments, and referral systems. Expanding this approach to other cities with known ULAB recycling activity — particularly in Metro Manila — would require funding, training, and political commitment. The Pure Earth cleanup projects in Pampanga and Marilao show that remediation is possible, but it is expensive and slow. Prevention through enforcement is cheaper in the long run.

What individuals and communities can do right now

For households and small businesses that use lead-acid batteries — for vehicles, solar power systems, or backup power — the safest option is to return used batteries to the retailer where the new one was purchased. Most major battery retailers are connected to formal recyclers. Selling to a junkshop may bring in more cash, but that extra money comes at a cost to the health of the community. For barangay officials and local leaders, the Valenzuela ordinance provides a template: pass a local resolution supporting blood lead surveillance, partner with Pure Earth or the Department of Health for testing, and establish referral systems for children with elevated BLLs. For a deeper look at how education can support these efforts, read our article on using education to combat pollution.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Comes Next

The evidence gathered by Pure Earth and LABRI makes a strong case that informal ULAB recycling is a significant and underaddressed source of lead exposure in the Philippines. The policy tools exist — EPR schemes, deposit systems, local ordinances, and targeted enforcement — but they require political will and sustained funding. The Valenzuela City pilot program shows what is possible at the local level, but scaling it to other cities will take coordination between national agencies, LGUs, and international partners. For now, the most immediate action available to individuals is to choose formal battery return channels and to support local lead surveillance efforts. If this was useful, you might also want to read how marine pollution connects to land-based industrial waste.

Sources

Community-led solutions to pollution in the Philippines — RichestPH article on local environmental action.

From land to sea: industrial waste’s impact on Philippine ecosystems — RichestPH article on how industrial pollution travels through ecosystems.

Solving Pollution in the Philippines. Pure Earth, 2025.

Why LABRI is Working in the Philippines. Lead Acid Battery Recycling Initiative, 2025.