Latest news with #BaselConventionontheControlofTransboundaryMovementsofHazardousWastesandTheirDisposal
CBS News
14-05-2025
- CBS News
Over 200 tons of illegally imported electronic waste from U.S. found in Thailand, officials say
Thai officials on Wednesday said they seized 238 tons of illegally imported electronic waste from the United States at the port of Bangkok, one of the biggest lots they've found this year. The waste, which came in 10 large containers, was declared as mixed metal scrap containing aluminium, copper and iron, but turned out to be circuit boards mixed in a huge pile of metal scrap, said Theeraj Athanavanich, director-general of the Customs Department. The electronic waste — which is classified as hazardous waste under the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal — was found on Tuesday after the 40-foot containers became the subject of a routine random inspection, officials said. The Basel Convention is an international treaty signed in 1989 meant to deal with hazardous waste flowing into developing countries as costs for disposal grew along with the amount of waste. A U.N. report last year said electronic waste is piling up worldwide. Some 62 million tons of electronic waste was generated in 2022 and that figure is on track to reach 82 million tons by 2030, the report said. It said only 22% of the waste was properly collected and recycled in 2022 and that quantity is expected to fall to 20% by the end of the decade due to higher consumption, limited repair options, shorter product life cycles, and inadequate management infrastructure. Thai officials show samples of illegally imported electronic waste from the United States which they said they seized at Bangkok Port during a press conference in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. Sakchai Lalit / AP Theeraj said Thai authorities are looking to press charges including falsely declaring imported goods, illegally importing electronic waste and planning to re-export the waste back to its country of origin. "It's important that we take action on this kind of goods," he said. "There are environmental impacts that are dangerous to the people, especially communities around factories that might import these things for processing, then recycling." Electronic waste creates huge health hazards. Many components are laden with lead and mercury, cadmium and other toxins. Recyclers are after gold, silver, palladium and copper, mainly from printed circuit boards, but lax controls mean that facilities often burn plastics to release encased copper and use unsafe methods to extract precious metals. A Thai official shows samples of illegally imported electronic waste from the United States which they said they seized at Bangkok Port during a press conference in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. Sakchai Lalit / AP Thailand passed a ban on the import of a range of electronic waste products in 2020. The Cabinet in February approved an expanded list of the banned waste. Sunthron Kewsawang, deputy director-general of the Department of Industrial Works, said officials suspected at least two factories in Samut Sakhon province, which borders Bangkok, are involved in importing the waste. Last year, Thai officials found thousands of tons of smuggled cadmium waste at a factory in the province, Thai PBS reported. Residents near the area were later found to have usually high levels of the poisonous metal in their urine, according to the report. Exposure to cadmium can cause flu-like symptoms, including chills, fever and muscle pain, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Long-term exposure can lead to cancer, kidney, bone and lung disease. In January, the Customs Department said it seized 256 tons of illegally imported electronic waste from Japan and Hong Kong at a port in eastern Thailand. contributed to this report.
The Star
08-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Make it a habit to tackle e-waste
One for the album: Nik Nazmi (centre) with Etika Group of Companies chief executive officer Santharuban Thurai Sundaram and Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry deputy secretary-general (development) Datuk Nor Yahati Awang with the world's thinnest reverse vending machine with a compaction system. — Bernama PUTRAJAYA: Setting up household e-waste collection centres and dedicating one day per month for recycling electronics are among initiatives to reduce such waste nationwide, says Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad. The Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister said there are 140 registered household e-waste collection centres and 161 licensed premises nationwide authorised to receive e-waste. This includes 45 full off-site recovery facilities that are capable of extracting valuable and precious metals from discarded electronic products, he told The Star. 'The government's household e-waste management mechanism provides a legal framework to reduce and recycle e-waste. 'The mechanism governs the lifecycle of six categories of household e-waste, from generation to final disposal, while operationalising the extended producer responsibility (EPR) principle. "This system places shared responsibility on importers, manufacturers, retailers, consumers, collectors and recyclers,' he said in response to questions about how the government plans to tackle Malaysia's mounting e-waste problem. The Environment Department estimates that the country will likely produce 24.5 million units of e-waste in 2025. This is an increase from 23.8 million in 2024 and 22.7 million in 2023, with the majority of waste being mobile phones followed by personal computers. In the last two decades, the country has produced 2.62 million tonnes of e-waste, which when piled up, is about 300m taller than Penang's Komtar building, which is 249m tall. As part of its efforts to address the issue, the ministry has declared the last Saturday of every month as the official national e-waste collection day, Nik Nazmi said. 'The ministry has launched nationwide awareness campaigns to encourage households to segregate e-waste and deliver it to registered collection centres or licensed recyclers capable of handling e-waste in an environmentally sound manner," he explained. He added that the government is also promoting the circular economy approach to e-waste management to reduce reliance on landfills and treat e-waste as a resource. 'Our goal is to reduce e-waste generation, enhance reuse and recycling, and increase raw material efficiency, contributing to the sustainable consumption of natural resources," he noted. Nik Nazmi added that the government is also committed to combating illegal global e-waste trafficking in line with its obligations under the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal. 'We are working with the Basel Action Network (BAN), as well as the police and Customs Department to strengthen border control and take swift action against illegal transboundary movements of e-waste. 'The collaborations have led to the successful interception and repatriation of illegal waste shipments, and underline our firm stance against environmental crimes," he said. Action against the illegal e-waste trade is taken under the Environmental Quality Act 1974 and the Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulations 2005, which regulates the transportation and management of scheduled wastes, including e-waste, he added. 'In cases involving criminal syndicates or illicit financial flows, we also invoke the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 to investigate and prosecute offenders," Nik Nazmi said.
