Thailand has become world's new 'e-waste' and plastic dumping ground

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Thailand has become world's new 'e-waste' and plastic dumping ground

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"Following China's crackdown on imports of high-tech trash, Thai police say Thailand has become the new dumping ground for scrap electronics from around the world."

video here:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/thailand-bec ... 31532.html
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' dumping ground, police say

Post by HHTel »

Which begs the question - Where can I 'dump' my e-waste?

I have old computers, a couple of ovens, defunct water pump and more. I don't have a clue what to do with it!
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' dumping ground, police say

Post by PeteC »

Good old journalism. :roll: The term "dumping ground" implies that something illegal or bad is going on. This is not a case of everyday Thai practice of dumping their own unwanted garbage randomly in the countryside, along the roads and in the sea. This is a case of someone buying the electronics from a seller and importing it, the same as China did for decades before their gov. made it illegal for buyers to import it. If you don't want it, don't buy it. :idea: Pete :cheers:
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' dumping ground, police say

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HHTel wrote: Wed May 30, 2018 11:31 pm Which begs the question - Where can I 'dump' my e-waste?

I have old computers, a couple of ovens, defunct water pump and more. I don't have a clue what to do with it!
Take it to any scrap merchant and they will take it and even pay you something for it. :D
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' dumping ground, police say

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HHTel wrote: Wed May 30, 2018 11:31 pm Which begs the question - Where can I 'dump' my e-waste?

I have old computers, a couple of ovens, defunct water pump and more. I don't have a clue what to do with it!
I think I've mentioned it to you before, there's a recycling truck that cruises the streets with a loudspeaker specifically for the purpose of buying such waste.
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' dumping ground, police say

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Yes, you have mentioned that, BB. However, I've never come across it.
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' dumping ground, police say

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The only solution is to ban imports and exports of waste and make each county that produces the waste responsible for recycling it.
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' dumping ground, police say

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HHTel wrote: Thu May 31, 2018 9:57 am Yes, you have mentioned that, BB. However, I've never come across it.
Maybe he only comes around the central area. If you have a lot, PM me your address, and I'll ask Mrs BB to ask him to call around. PM your phone number as well, and we can make sure it's convenient for him to come.

[Edit] :idea: Maybe I could get his number that I could post on here. Then people could call him direct to make arrangements.
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' dumping ground, police say

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There are actually two guys who pass by our place every once in a while. One buys things like old TVs, computers and etc. while the other has various commodities which he offers in return for old mobile phones no matter how badly damaged they are.

I only learned about this by chance one day when my one flip-flop broke while I was at a shop down the road. This pick-up stopped with loads of goods strung up, including some flip-flops lol. When I tried to buy a pair he declined, which obviously confused me a bit, but then the shop own explained that he swaps his goods for old phones. Anyway, he felt sorry for me when I showed my broken flip-flop and reluctantly sold me a new pair for 120 baht. :D


Anyway, as I have said, you can also take your old electronic goods to any of the scrap collectors, of which there are plenty. They will weigh it all and then pay you the going rate. I took an old broken air cooler machine, an old computer, a broken fan, and an old video machine not too long ago, and my kids got just under 300 baht to spend.
If the OP doesn't want to drive the stuff to a scrap dealer, then I am sure any of the old people who drive around sorting through the bins will be happy to take what you don't want.

:cheers:
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' dumping ground, police say

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I told Mrs BB to get the phone number yesterday, next time she hears the guy in our street. A few minutes later she went off on a mission - hear the loudspeaker coming up the Soi.

Alas, yesterday's was a newbie (for us) - yes, he wanted the household goods, but was exchanging for food, not cash. It might take a couple of weeks for the regular guy to make an appearance, but she will get that phone number.

Like Takiap, all recycling proceeds go to our grandchildren, and they are very appreciative.
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' dumping ground, police say

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Thanks for those comments. If I can't get someone to pick the stuff up then I'll get round to loading it up and take it to one of the scrap merchants.
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' dumping ground, police say

Post by Nereus »

As to be expected, not all of the "waste" being s̶m̶u̶g̶g̶l̶e̶d̶ imported is electronic:
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Fears grow over waste imports

Plastics found from 35 countries

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/ne ... recent_box

Plastic waste from 35 countries is being imported into Thailand, said deputy national police chief Wirachai Songmetta after the latest discovery of containers loaded with smuggled rubbish in Chon Buri.
The deputy national police was referring to the 58 tonnes of plastic rubbish intercepted at Laem Chabang Port on Wednesday.

Initially, the authority expected to discover electronic waste, which had been found at factories near the port earlier in the week, when they conducted raids on the import companies which were under suspicion.

However what they found was poor grade, non-recyclable plastic waste sent from 35 countries, Pol Gen Wirachai said.

"This finding shows that Thailand has become a global dumping ground and the government must fight hard to stop companies importing waste from overseas illegally," said Pol Gen Wirachai, who led a search on Friday of a factory at the Lat Krabang industrial estate in eastern Bangkok.

Among the 35 countries from where the seized plastic came were Hong Kong, the US, Britain, Canada, Australia, Germany, Korea, the Netherlands, Japan, Malaysia, China, Nigeria, Iran, Spain, Vietnam, Turkey, France, Pakistan, Dubai and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), said Pol Gen Wirachai.

The seized plastic waste, found in four cargo containers, was declared in import documents to belong to a company in Samut Sakhon, named Long Luck Plastic and Metal Co, said Pol Gen Wirachai.

During a raid, the police found no plastic-recycling machinery at the factory, despite the seized waste being declared for recycling. And since the factory apparently isn't a recycling facility as claimed, the seized plastic waste is considered falsely declared and therefore illegal, he said.

The police are currently examining the company's tax records to verify its sources of revenue and other activities.
The Department of Industrial Works had inspected the seized plastics and found that they violate the 1979 Industry Ministry's ordinances that permit local factory companies to import only good grade, recyclable plastic waste.

This offence can lead to a maximum prison term of 10 years and a fine of five times the value of the imported products.
The importer might also face a penalty for a false declaration under the Customs Act, which carries a fine of up to 500,000 baht.

Tara Buakamsri, Thailand Country Director for Greenpeace Southeast Asia, said the latest arrests are "just the tip of the iceberg", adding that there are hundreds of so-called recycling factories importing low-grade and non-recyclable waste from other countries.

"This low-grade waste will become landfill and pollute the environment. Some will also be burned and release toxic emissions," Mr Tara said.

Mr Tara said the industrial ministry must revise the laws governing recycling businesses by imposing a total ban on the importation of plastic waste.
"This country does not have the capacity to examine all the plastic waste that is imported, thus it would be more realistic to stop all of these imports," he said, adding that the factories can still do business by taking in local plastic waste.

In related news, police led by Pol Gen Wirachai subsequently raided a factory in tambon Khlong Dan in Samut Prakan's Bang Bo district on Friday.
Police suspected the factory to be an illegal recycling facility.

A foreigner reportedly identified as Song Kun, 50, who told the police he took care of the factory, was arrested.
He was charged with importing prohibited products and possession of electronic waste, which the violates the 1992 Hazardous Substances Act, said Pol Gen Wirachai.

The raided factory was found to have been originally registered as a producer of synthetic fibres in 2014.
Police found huge bags of electronics, weighing more than 1,000 tonnes in total.

There were 18 Chinese nationals who worked illegally at the factory and were all found to have overstayed their three-month visas.

While officers were questioning Mr Kun, a man speaking Chinese-accented Thai called the suspect, saying the factory was operating legally and threatening to take legal action against the police, said Pol Gen Wirachai.
The factory was ordered shut permanently, he said.

Meanwhile, officials in Phetchaburi yesterday found 30 black plastic containing what was believed to be aluminium hydroxide.
Those bags were dumped in a 1 rai wooded area in tambon Nong Chumphon.

Phiew Pikaeo, 62, who lives close to the site, said a new road was made leading to the dump site about a month ago before several trucks were seen on May 27 transporting the bags into the area.
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' dumping ground, police say

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Maybe Thailand will qualify for Trump's "Shit hole country" list.
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' dumping ground, police say

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"Whale dies in Thailand after eating more than 17 lbs of plastic

Image

Bangkok, Thailand (CNN)A short-fin male pilot whale has died in Southern Thailand after ingesting more than 17 lbs of plastic bags and packaging, a sobering casualty of the waste littering the world's oceans. During an autopsy veterinarians removed more than 80 plastic bags from the whale's stomach, said Jatuporn Burutpat, Director-General to Thailand's Department of Marine and Coastal Resources. Officials say the whale was spotted by locals on May 28 looking ill and floating abnormally. Government veterinarians were dispatched to care for the whale and were joined later by members of a local whale conservancy group. Volunteers attempt to rescue the male pilot whale and nurse it back to health. ..."

https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/03/asia/wha ... st+Recent)
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' dumping ground, police say

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Burupat said the Thai government will seek to raise awareness about the problem for World Ocean's Day on June 8.
Raising awareness here is not going to cut it. Action needs to be taken. The public will do nothing under their own volition.
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