196 tonnes of hazardous waste being sent back to Japan
Containers at Laem Chabang Port declared to have scrap metal, copper & aluminum, actually have hazardous electronic waste. Importer & Japanese exporter to be punished.
Containers at Laem Chabang Port declared to have scrap metal, copper & aluminum, actually have hazardous electronic waste. Importer & Japanese exporter to be punished.
WASTE DISPOSAL, INTERNATIONAL TRADE & THE ENVIRONMENT
196 tonnes of hazardous waste being sent back to Japan
28/07/2016
Online Reporters
More than 190 tonnes of hazardous electronic and electrical waste will be sent back to Japan on Friday.
The hazardous waste was illegally imported into Thailand from Japan through the Laem Chabang container port in Chonburi last year.
Industry deputy permanent secretary Sakda Pankla leads senior officials to inspect electronic waste before it is sent back to Japan on Friday. A total of 196.11 tonnes of the hazardous waste was illegally imported to Thailand in falsely declared shipping containers through Laem Chabang port in Chon Buri last year. (Photo by Apichart Jinakul)
CUSTOMS SEIZURE OF HAZARDOUS WASTE
Computer monitors are typically packed into low stacks on wooden pallets for recycling and then shrink-wrapped (Source: Wikipedia)
This huge amount of hazardous garbage was seized following an inspection of containers at Laem Chabang port by the customs department and industrial works officials on Aug 28 last year.
They opened eight containers shipped from Japan and declared to contain scrap metal, copper and aluminum.
However, only one of the containers contained goods as declared in customs documents.
The seven others were found to contain electronic and electrical waste.
HOW COMMON IS THIS?
It was the first incident of its kind detected in Thailand.
There might have been undetected incidents in the past.
A similar case of this sort of "offshore waste dumping" drew widespread public attention recently in the Philippines (see here, here, here, here & here).
WHAT IS THE LAW ON ELECTRONIC WASTE?
Electrical and electronic waste is classified as hazardous waste under the Basel Convention to which 183 countries are parties.
Imports of this kind of waste must receive prior permission from the Thai government.
Japan’s Ministry of the Environment will take legal action against those involved in exporting the waste to Thailand.
In this case, the importer had falsely declared the goods imported into Thailand.
Legal action will be taken by Thai authorities against the importer.
An electronic waste (e-waste) centre in the country of Ghana in Africa, where electronic waste is burnt and disassembled with no safety or environmental protections (Source: Wikipedia on electronic waste)
GLOBAL TRADE IN WASTE & ELECTRONIC WASTE
As Wikipedia describes it, "the global waste trade is the international trade of waste between countries for further treatment, disposal, or recycling. Toxic or hazardous wastes are often exported from developed countries to developing countries... in Africa, Asia, and Latin America" (see here).
Electronic waste (e-waste) consists of "discarded electrical or electronic devices... Informal processing of e-waste in developing countries can lead to adverse human health effects and environmental pollution. Electronic scrap components, such as CPUs, contain potentially harmful components such as lead, cadmium, beryllium, or brominated flame retardants. ...great care must be taken to avoid unsafe exposure in recycling operations and leaking of materials such as heavy metals from landfills and incinerator ashes" (see here & here).
INSPECTION & SHIPPING BACK TO JAPAN
Industry deputy permanent secretary Sakda Pankla inspected the 196.11 tonnes of toxic waste on Thursday with senior officials from the Department of Industrial Works, the Department of Pollution Control, the Customs Department, and Laem Chabang port and cargo terminal operators.
The Department of Industrial Works will ship the toxic waste back to Japan on Friday. It is expected to arrive there on Aug 7.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1046825/196-tonnes-of-hazardous-waste-being-sent-back-to-japan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_waste_by_country
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_waste
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_waste_trade
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