National –
The Ministry of Commerce has announced that the import of 428 kinds of electronic waste had been officially prohibited since September 15 to ensure the protection of the country’s environment.
Keerati Rushchano, the Director-General of the Department of Foreign Trade, told the Associated Press yesterday, October 3, that the legal prohibition has been effective following the approval of a sub-committee to systematically manage electronic and plastic waste in the Kingdom.
The Ministry of Commerce had first issued a notification of the law in 2018 and had asked private companies and relevant agencies for their kind cooperation to manage electronic waste efficiently in order to prevent the abundant waste in the country and to help preserve the environment.
According to the prohibition, the term “Electronic Waste” or “E-Waste” refers to pieces and/or scraps of electronic devices which contain capacitors, batteries, mercury switches, glass wastes from cathode ray tube screens (CRTs), and other activated glass wastes that contain PCBs, cadmium, mercury, and/or lead.
Those who violate the law are subject to ten-year imprisonment or a hefty fine for five times of the actual price of the product waste or both.
