238 tons of illegal harmful products are being found and returned by customs authorities.
PUBLISHED: 17 May 2025 at 14: 03
According to Thai authorities, 238 tons of illegally imported electric spare were seized before this year at Bangkok Port in Klong Toey from the US.
Theeraj Athanavanich, director-general of the Customs Department, was quoted as saying that the waste, which was contained in 10 large vessels, was supposed to be mingled steel piece but instead turned out to be circuit boards, which were mixed in big piles of metallic piece.
Officials were looking into pressing charges, including fraudulently importing electronic waste and falsely declaring imported goods, according to Mr. Theeraj. He said the spend, which was discovered on Tuesday during a strange observation, would be returned to its country of origin.
” It’s important that we take actions on this kind of merchandise,” he said. There are “environmental effects that are harmful to the people,” according to the statement “especially communities around factories that may import these things for running and recycling.”
In 2020, Thailand has imposed a moratorium on the importation of a wide range of electronic waste products. An expanded list of prohibited materials was approved by the government in February.
In 2018, China imposed a ban on imports of digital spend, which has resulted in an increase in shipments to other countries, including Southeast Asian nations.  ,
At least two businesses in Samut Sakhon state were suspected of being involved in the importation of the waste, according to Sunthron Kewsawang, assistant director-general of the Department of Industrial Works.
Digital waste poses a number of health risks. Some components are laden with copper, lead, mercury, and other toxins. Recyclers are primarily looking for printed circuit boards, which contains gold, silver, palladium, and copper, but weak regulations prevent facilities from burning plastic to relieve encased copper and employing risky techniques to extract precious metals.
Electronic waste is piled up everywhere, according to a UN statement from last year. Digital spare was estimated to be produced in 2022 at a rate of 62 million tonnes, and it was anticipated to reach 82 million tonnes by 2030.
Only 22 % of the waste, according to the review, was properly collected and recycled in 2022, and that figure is projected to decline by 20 percent by the year’s end due to higher use, limited maintenance options, shorter product life cycles, and limited management system.