Thai officials seize 238 tons of illegal e-waste at Bangkok port

In a press conference on Wednesday, Thai officials said local authorities had seized 238 tons of electronic waste hidden in ten storage containers falsely declared as metal scrap. According to Theeraj Athanavanich, director-general of the Customs Department, the containers were inspected the day before at the port of Bangkok, during a search that one source described as routine and another as random. He said the shipment was allegedly imported illegally from the United States. According to Devdiscourse, it was one of the largest electronic waste (e-waste) imports Thai authorities have uncovered this year.

The contents of the containers were declared to customs as "mixed metal scrap," but also contained electronic circuit boards, said Athanavanich. He said Thai officials planned to bring charges for falsely declaring imports and illegally bringing e-waste into the country. The authorities planned to refuse the containers and return them to their sender.

According to AP News, citing a 2024 United Nations report, e-waste is piling up globally, with 62 million tons generated in 2022 and only 22% properly collected and recycled.