Thai Government Enacts E-Waste Import Ban, Says Basel Action Network

Thailand imposed a “full prohibition” on e-waste imports from the U.S., Australia, Japan and other developed countries, reported the Basel Action Network Tuesday. It's among green groups urging a ban for years and is now calling on the Thai government for “vigorous enforcement of the law.” After China began banning e-waste imports two years ago, “many traders simply moved highly polluting waste operations” to India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand, said BAN. It used GPS trackers to monitor e-waste flows across the world, discovering “numerous” shipments ending up in Thailand from Germany and Australia, it said. It called on all countries to impose import bans. “Once your country and countryside becomes a target of the global waste traders it is too late to prevent the destruction they can cause," said BAN Executive Director Jim Puckett. Thailand's embassy in Washington didn't comment right away.