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

Local Hua Hin and regional Thailand news articles and discussion.
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' dumping ground, police say

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HHTel wrote: Mon Jun 04, 2018 9:04 am
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.

The Generalissimo has already said he won't ban plastic bags because 'Thai people won't like it'.

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Plastic wasteland: Asia's ocean pollution crisis

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Published: 5/06/2018 at 11:45 AM
Online news: AFP article. https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asean/ ... ion-crisis

THANH HOA, Vietnam: A Vietnamese mangrove draped with polythene, a whale killed after swallowing waste bags in Thai seas and clouds of underwater trash near Indonesian "paradise" islands -- grim images of the plastic crisis that has gripped Asia.

About eight million tonnes of plastic waste are dumped into the world's oceans every year, the equivalent of one garbage truck of plastic being tipped into the sea every minute of every day.


A whale found to have swallowed up to 80 plastic bags is seen in Songkhla, Thailand, in this still image from June 1, 2018 video footage by Thailand's Department of Marine and Coastal Resources. (Social Media/via REUTERS)

More than half comes from five Asian countries: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, according to a 2015 Ocean Conservancy report.

They are among the fastest growing economies in Asia, where much of the world's plastic is produced, consumed and discarded -- most of it improperly in countries where waste management is at best patchy.

"We are in a plastic pollution crisis, we can see it everywhere in our rivers, in our oceans... we need to do something about it," Greenpeace Indonesia campaigner Ahmad Ashov Birry told AFP.

World Environment Day on Tuesday is highlighting the perils of plastic with the tagline "if you can't reuse it, refuse it".

But it is not just an issue of aesthetics, plastics are killing marine life.

Last week a whale died in southern Thailand with 80 plastic bags in its stomach, an increasingly common sight alongside dead seabirds and turtles gorged on plastic and washed ashore."...... (VIDEOS AND RELATED SUB-LINKS AT LINK)
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' and plastic dumping ground

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Looks like that whale has woken the government up finally ...

20 ministries kick off campaign to reduce use of plastic bags
Led by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, 20 ministries and the private sector today launched a campaign to reduce the use of plastic bags to mark the World Environment Day, which falls on June 5 of every year.

Gen Surasak Karnjanarat, the natural resources and environment minister, said the campaign will start with concerted efforts to reduce the use of plastic bags with straps and Styrofoam materials in their offices, starting June 5.

The campaign will be carried out under the theme: “Beat Plastic Pollution: If you can’t reuse it, refuse it.”

Their intention is to create an environmental awareness, he said.

Gen Surasak said during the past 10 years, Thailand has produced about 2 million tonnes of plastic garbage every year. Of this, only 0.5 million tonnes are reused. Most of the plastic bags are contaminated or infected. The plastic trash not only affects health and the environment but also the country’s economy as a whole, he said.

Pictures of rafts of plastic garbage in the ocean and its effects on marine life including sea turtles, whales, dolphins and rare sea animals clearly show that the environment problem caused by plastic waste has become more serious, Gen Surasak said.

“In 2016 alone, the country had 27 million tonnes of garbage, of them 3.2 million was plastic. The figures coincide with information of the United Nations Environmental Programme which says that as many as 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide each year. One half of the plastic products are for one-time use – including spoons, forks and cups. Each year more than 13 million tonnes of plastic garbage were dumped into the sea. Thailand is ranked 6th among countries in the world with the highest amounts of plastic garbage,” the minister said.

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/20-min ... stic-bags/
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' and plastic dumping ground

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As I've said before, awareness campaigns will never work. It can be ignored which most of the general public will do. It needs legislation. i.e. 1. Make retailers charge for plastic bags. 2. Tax the use of plastic. 3. By far the most effective - ban plastic bags altogether.

White lines are painted on the roads but unless they are supplemented with permanent bollards (which has happened around HH and in places outside), then they are ignored.
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' and plastic dumping ground

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At long last - here is the phone number of the recycle man. Please let us know how you get on HHTel - 090 764 6028
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' and plastic dumping ground

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Thanks BB. I'll give him a call.
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' and plastic dumping ground

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E-waste plant fight hits home
Until a month ago, Somsri Wichianchai, a villager of Ban Klong Song in Chachoengsao's Plaeng Yao district, had to keep the windows of her house sealed to escape the acrid smell caused by waste recycling factories nearby.

Ms Somsri's house was often blanketed by a cloud of smoke as it is surrounded by three e-waste recycling plants that melt down parts of old electric appliances to extract valuable metals like gold, silver and copper.

"The acrid smoke burned our noses and throats. Those of us who live nearby the plants had to put on masks when we went outside. Masks became a daily accessory," Ms Somsri said.

Another resident of Ban Klong Song, Kaysorn Chalothorn, also said she often had trouble breathing when the wind blew noxious smells towards her house.

"We used to have fresh air and a normal country life until Chinese businessmen came and built these recycling factories about a year and a half ago," Ms Kaysorn said.

Ms Kaysorn said when the plants conducted public meetings and hearings with locals, they promised to install measures to ameliorate the harm, such as waste water treatment systems, and air pollution controls on waste incinerators. As well, all the waste was to be stored indoors to help protect the village from pollution. However, they failed to keep their promises.


https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/specia ... -hits-home
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' and plastic dumping ground

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Not only plastic bags, but the pet bottles and so much more. For the PET bottles perhaps a 50 THB depot money would encourage consumers to return the empty bottle to get their money back to the 7/11 collecting point ? As for the plastic bags, why not start to manufacture them with bio degradable components that are harmless (?) and dissolve with no residus ?

And what about all the waste water being pumped into the sea in beach areas like Pattaya or near HH ?
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' and plastic dumping ground

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E-waste shunned by China piles up in Thailand

https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... recent_box

Plastic and electronic waste banned from import by China is now engulfing Thailand, the Customs Department spokesman said Wednesday.

Chaiyut Khamkhun said that in the whole of last year, 145,000 tonnes of plastic waste was imported for recycling -- but 212,000 tonnes has arrived in just the first five months of this year.

Imports of electronic waste last year amounted to 64,400 tonnes, but the figure has already reached 52,200 tonnes in the first five months of 2018. Importers must seek permission from the Industrial Works Department and the Foreign Trade Department.

The waste has increasingly been diverted to Thailand since China banned its importation, the spokesman said.

Ninety percent of the waste was imported through the Laem Chabang port in Chon Buri province. About 500 containers - each weighing about 20 tonnes - have arrived at the port every month so far this year.

The Customs Department was currently checking 162 containers, and earlier rejected 11 containers of such waste, Mr Chaiyut said.

The Industrial Works Department recently suspended the licences of five recycling plants for forwarding imported waste to unlicensed plants for recycling.

Kreecha Koedsriphan, deputy spokesman of the Customs Department, said both his department and the Industrial Works Department would examine whether any licensed recycling plants were importing quantities of waste beyond their processing capacities.
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' and plastic dumping ground

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It seems to be happening because other countries have banned the import of plastic waste. So Thailand needs to do the same or they will increasingly be used as a dumping ground. Recycling in this country is still in it's infancy and they don't have the capacity/technology to recycle their own waste, never mind other countries' waste.
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' and plastic dumping ground

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DID JUNTA DEREGULATION FUEL THE FOREIGN TRASH SURGE?

http://www.khaosodenglish.com/featured/ ... ash-surge/

BANGKOK — As more piles of illegally imported trash draw fresh police action, environmentalists believe it was a junta move to rewrite the rules two years ago that opened the door to the surge of foreign trash.

Environmental concerns are peaking following raids on nearly 20 illegal e-waste plants this month, including a plant shut down Tuesday in southeast metro Bangkok. Now attention has turned to a 2016 junta order some say fueled the explosion of imported trash. The order, passed by the junta leader’s absolute power, allowed such factories to be built legally anywhere, regardless of existing zoning.

“It made it easier,” said Penchom Saetang of Ecological Alert and Recovery Thailand, an environmental foundation researching toxic and chemical waste. “The number of factories has rapidly increased. … It’s quite obvious that there’s a correlation.”

The order instructed the deregulation of “obstacles from the laws” that blocked government efforts to solve problems related to solid waste. It described the issue as “a national priority that needs to be addressed urgently in both the short- and long-term.”

Those regulations, therefore, were suspended and amended to help “advance the country’s economic development.”

Among the businesses exempted from urban planning regulations were factories which sort and bury garbage, including factories that recycle electronic and industrial waste.

Sixty-seven such new factories were registered in the one-year period between the time the order was issued and January 2017, according to data from the Department of Industrial Works.

Greenpeace Thailand’s director agreed the order has likely made it more convenient for the waste to flow into the country to supply demand in the industrial sector.

“The point is electronic waste can be used as fuel in waste incinerators, as well as unrecyclable plastic,” Tara Buakamsri said. “This order has eased restrictions for incinerators and waste factories.”

Police have stepped up a crackdown on companies illegally importing waste in recent weeks. The operation, led by deputy police chief Wirachai Songmetta, has led to raids on 18 unlicensed e-waste factories, mostly located in Samut Prakan, Chachoengsao and Pathum Thani provinces.

Gen. Wirachai said all 18 factories will be prosecuted and denied accusations that some owners have tried to lobby police to stop the raids.

He added that the perpetrators are “foreigners who have exploited Thailand, taken their money back home and left pollution behind.”

Penchom, of the environmental foundation, said the illegal plants are only part of a problem spurred by the deregulation.

“Although some factories are illegal, our country is now open freely for waste import,” Penchom said. “Thai laws encourage that.”
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' and plastic dumping ground

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Prawit orders end to imports of hazardous waste

https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... dous-waste

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon has ordered authorities to find ways to end the importation of hazardous and electronic waste.

Lt Gen Khongcheep Tantrawanit, the defence spokesman, said Gen Prawit issued the order at a meeting of the committee on the reform of national administration.

Gen Prawit, also defence minister, ordered the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Interior Ministry, the Industry Ministry, the Pollution Control Department, the Customs Department, the Royal Thai Police Office and the Internal Security Operations Command to study how best to put an immediate ban on imports of hazardous waste.

Lt Gen Khongcheep quoted Gen Prawit as saying that Section 44 of the interim constitution could be used if existing laws were inadequate.

Gen Prawit also ordered work begin on a proposal to end the importation of all electronic waste.

Wednesday's meeting was told there were 148 waste sorting plants in the country and 90% of them had improper sorting systems. There were seven waste disposal and recycling plants. All of them belonged to Chinese operators, and five of them were found operating illegally, Lt Gen Khongcheep said.

Gen Prawit also ordered a strict watch for, and rejection of, illegal waste imports.

Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda said later that authorities would consider a ban on imports of any kind of waste, including electronic scrap, that does benefit the country.

Police on Tuesday searched Dexin Industries Co on Thanasit Road in Bang Phli district, Samut Prakan, after a finding it discharged untreated wastewater from its waste recycling process. The Chinese operators had fled.
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' and plastic dumping ground

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He added that the perpetrators are “foreigners who have exploited Thailand, taken their money back home and left pollution behind.”
Of course, it's someone else's fault!
Gen Prawit also ordered a strict watch
To add to his collection..... lol
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' and plastic dumping ground

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Recycling of plastic, e-waste faces ban

The Department of Industrial Works (DIW) has promised to ban local factories from recycling plastic and electronic waste.

Department deputy chief Banjong Sukreeta said the proposed ban will effectively discourage factories from importing waste into Thailand and help authorities deal with the increasing amount of waste in the country.

He said the department is authorised under the 1992 Factory Act to forbid domestic plants to use plastic or electronic waste in their production processes.

The department is preparing to announce the ban, he added.

On a proposal that Section 44 be invoked to ban the import of both plastic and electronic waste, Mr Banjong said a working committee is studying the issue and, in the meantime, the department will delay considering whether to grant import permits.

Earlier, the department suspended the licences of five factories found to have breached the conditions involving the use of plastic and electronic waste for recycling.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... -faces-ban
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Re: Thailand has become new 'e-waste' and plastic dumping ground

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While the rest of the world is at least thinking about the problems of plastic waste, in the US they're increasing production:

"The US natural gas boom has made plastic feedstocks really cheap and readily available. An estimated $50 billion will be invested into new and expanded US plastic production facilities, increasing production by roughly 50% in the next 10 years, and tripling the amount of plastic exports by 2030! That includes 400 new plastic processing facilities, in addition to plastic manufacturing facilities and plastic additive processing facilities, which can produce some significantly harmful chemicals including pthalates and brominated flame retardants.

In fact, in the US alone, producers of polyethylene are expecting to increase production capacity by as much as 75% by 2022. Industry explains that this increase of production is fueled by expected increases in demand for disposable plastics, such as soft drinks and packaging, by millennials in developed countries, and growing consumer markets in developing countries. This means that much of the US manufactured plastics are planning to be exported to developing countries, where waste management services may not be properly equipped to handle current, let alone a surge in non-biodegradable solid waste."
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