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Thailand is New Dumping Ground For World's High-Tech Trash, Police Say (trust.org)

Posted by msmash on from the closer-look dept.

Thailand is a new dumping ground for scrap electronics from around the world, say police and environmentalists, the latest country to feel the impact of China's crackdown on imports of high-tech trash. From a report: Police at Laem Chabang port, south of Bangkok, showed on Tuesday seven shipping containers each packed with about 22 tonnes of discarded electronics, including crushed game consoles, computer boards and bags of scrap materials. Electronic refuse, or e-waste, is turning up from Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan, police said, some of it imported by companies without the required permits. "This ... shows that electronic waste from every corner of the world is flowing into Thailand," Deputy Police Chief Wirachai Songmetta said as he showed the containers to the media. While "e-waste" -- defined as any device with an electric cord or battery -- can be "mined" for valuable metals such as gold, silver and copper, it can include hazardous material such as lead, mercury and cadmium. Police said they filed charges against three recycling and waste processing companies in Thailand. Anyone found guilty could be jailed for up to 10 years.

60 comments

  1. Re:Moscow Donald and Racist Rosanne's Tweets by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just smile and wave boys... smile and wave.

  2. Mending is better than ending. by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

    Buck the trend! Remember Brave New World? "Ending is better than mending" was not supposed to be the prime directive in an instruction manual...

    Buy phones with either removable or easily replaceable batteries and upgradable storage. Buy "pro quality" laptops that are modular and can be upgraded, not consumer-quality "Surface" or "Macbook" junk that's glued together. Or use a desktop. This kind of stuff can last 5-10 years -- throwing it away after a year or two is stupid and environmentally nasty.

    Do your part in ending planned obsolescence.

    1. Re:Mending is better than ending. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      including crushed game consoles

      There, in bold, do you need more clues to realize all this recycling they fill their big mouths is all about?

      Their recycling is all about making the second hand and repair markets something irrelevant so that people have little option but to buy their new products.

    2. Re:Mending is better than ending. by The+Grim+Reefer · · Score: 1

      including crushed game consoles

      There, in bold, do you need more clues to realize all this recycling they fill their big mouths is all about?

      Their recycling is all about making the second hand and repair markets something irrelevant so that people have little option but to buy their new products.

      Is it that, or has someone already removed the easiest/most valuable components from those and now shipped what's left to Thailand? From what I've seen, no recycler is going to take the time to carefully removed the screws and clips form a plastic case when it's much faster to simply smash/cut the case open to grab the valuable bits.

    3. Re:Mending is better than ending. by sexconker · · Score: 2

      Recycling is supposed to be the LAST option before dumping/burning shit.

      Reduce
      Reuse
      Recycle

      In that order.

      But what we have now is a bunch of people buying new, new, new all the time, and the "recycling" efforts are nothing more than shipping toxic trash around the globe before dumping it on some poor people.

    4. Re: Mending is better than ending. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes but it is all the liberals that are driving the e waste. There are white trailer park trash that still usei CRT televisions to watch Fox news. It is the liberal Trump hating elite that have to have their 76 meter OLED televisions to watch CNN. It is the liberal Ewaste recycling programs that are causing thousands of metric fuck tons of electronics to be carried across the ocean on fossil fueled cargo tankers to be recycled in an environmtally conscious manner in Thailand.
              And by recycled in an environmentally conscious manner, I if coarse mean some well connected liberal gets millions of tax dollars to dump toxic trash in the Thai countryside.

      But hey I am sure it's Rosanne Bars fault

    5. Re: Mending is better than ending. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      CNN? They are so biased for the right it is hillaryous! I only trust the news from the new age utopian reporters of MSNBC!

    6. Re: Mending is better than ending. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't forget it is also about making liberal green elites millions of bucks pretending to care about the environment by sending trash overseas while collecting cash. Nothing ever changes. But hey keep believing that if only Donald Trump gets impeached the world will be made of chocolate. You gotta have a cause no matter how misguided

    7. Re:Mending is better than ending. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe these luddites need an app to help them with that, LOL. xD xD xD

    8. Re:Mending is better than ending. by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      While it's consumers buying new things instead of repairing existing things, the blame for them doing that falls squarely on the shoulders of the manufacturers and more to the point their marketing departments. First they don't bother making things repairable in any reasonable manner anymore because they can make things smaller and cheaper if they do, so higher profit margin. Then their marketing people indoctrinate everyone that you have to have the NEWEST and SHINIEST things, and that OLD things are OLD and make you look POOR, and who wants to look OLD and POOR? Philosophies need to change or we're going to be living in the world of WALL-E, where the Earth is uninhabitable because it's all been turned into a landfill full of toxic junk.

    9. Re:Mending is better than ending. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And yet people still buy them although they could have bought the alternatives. In one hand, many people don't really care about the repairability. In the other hand, it's lack of regulation to protect consumers and environment, and to prevent vendor lock-in, at least in the US and many parts of the world.

    10. Re:Mending is better than ending. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      sure, but first explain how to do this because nothing is reparable or upgradable now (even latest android tablets do not even have microsd card slots) - it's like saying don't shop at wal-mart, what do you do when all the other stores close one by one until all that's left is wal-mart and another store with a different color scheme that operates the same way

  3. Responsiblity by grumpy-cowboy · · Score: 1

    All companies producing electronics (phones, laptops, washing machine, IoT, ....) are responsible for this mess. Especially companies producing phones and other stupid "connected" IoT. They "force" consumers to change their phone/connected gadget by making it obsolete too quickly and/or preventing us to use 3rd party OS/software on it to extends device's life.

    Thailand should send back every device to the company who built it. Apple will receives thousand of containers of iPhone, MacBook, iGarbage, ...

    --
    Will $CURRENT_YEAR be the year of the Linux Desktop?
    1. Re:Responsiblity by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      Technically, MacBooks do allow 3rd-party OS's and apps. The problem is that the new MacBooks have an abysmal design in other ways (glued-on everything).

    2. Re:Responsiblity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All companies producing electronics (phones, laptops, washing machine, IoT, ....) are responsible for this mess. Especially companies producing phones and other stupid "connected" IoT. They "force" consumers to change their phone/connected gadget by making it obsolete too quickly and/or preventing us to use 3rd party OS/software on it to extends device's life.

      Thailand should send back every device to the company who built it. Apple will receives thousand of containers of iPhone, MacBook, iGarbage, ...

      All of Apple's crap is manufactured in China.

      China should be required to take back all the trash it creates.

    3. Re:Responsiblity by zenbi · · Score: 1
      You mean like Apple's trade-in and recycling program? If the device can be refurbished, you get a small credit, otherwise it's still a free service.

      Apple GiveBack lets you recycle any Apple device and devices from Apple owned brands at any Apple Store and online. We'll make sure it's recycled responsibly or given a chance to be used again. Some devices may also be eligible for credit. You can bring your batteries and old Apple-products to any Apple Store, and we'll recycle them responsibly, free of charge. We accept any small product or battery without purchase of a new product or battery.

    4. Re:Responsiblity by Registered+Coward+v2 · · Score: 2

      Thailand should send back every device to the company who built it. Apple will receives thousand of containers of iPhone, MacBook, iGarbage, ...

      Apple already takes back devices, not sure what they do to recycle but take back laws would induce more design with recycling in mind since they would ultimately wind up with the scrap machines. EU car manufacturers made changes to basic materials and construction to make it easier to recycle vehicles when they get scrapped. Packaging take back laws change how items are packaged. However, as long as there is no cost to producing waste companies will pay limited attention to recycling.

      --
      I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
    5. Re:Responsiblity by c · · Score: 1

      Thailand should send back every device to the company who built it.

      Someone in Thailand is importing that stuff. Their address is likely on the crate. Put them in prison, give them the job of properly recycling everything, and don't release them until the job is done.

      --
      Log in or piss off.
    6. Re:Responsiblity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How about the person that owns the device. Once its sold they don't own it anymore.

    7. Re: Responsiblity by TimMD909 · · Score: 1

      So jail anyone who takes the time to clean up another's mess? Trying to solve everything by prison terms seems a bad idea. Hasn't worked in America...

    8. Re: Responsiblity by c · · Score: 1

      So jail anyone who takes the time to clean up another's mess?

      If Thailand doesn't want its people importing another's mess and those people do it anyways (i.e. without permits, as the summary says), then what's so unreasonable about a jail sentence?

      America's problem is that they keep jailing the wrong people for the wrong things.

      --
      Log in or piss off.
  4. solar energy~earth magnets=free power for all? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    why not? no obsoleted greed fear ego based corepirate megasloth backing? cease fire stand down,, that's the spirit.. never any subscription or cover charges.. hum along...

    1. Re:solar energy~earth magnets=free power for all? by sexconker · · Score: 1

      why not? no obsoleted greed fear ego based corepirate megasloth backing? cease fire stand down,, that's the spirit.. never any subscription or cover charges.. hum along...

      Stop, thief! No welcome wagon, hello stranger, with that new coffee flavor for you! Offer expires while you wait, operators are standing by!

    2. Re: solar energy~earth magnets=free power for all? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Best post today. Mod up.

  5. Import it to Hawaii by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Then throw it into the volcano! The worlds largest garbage disposal :)

    1. Re:Import it to Hawaii by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      Ironically, theoretically, you could drop your e-waste (and nuclear waste for that matter) into an undersea subduction zone, and over the next 10000 years it'd be 'recycled' into the interior of the Earth. But just try suggesting that and the environmentalists will literally form a lynch mob.

    2. Re: Import it to Hawaii by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mainly because a subduction zone would only fully ingest the waste after a century or two, during which the waste would leech it's contents into the oceanic ecosystem.

      These ideas sound sensible to someone who heard the words "subduction zone" yesterday on discovery channel, but anyone who knows even a little could tell you these silly armchair ideas don't work in practice like they do in your imagination.

    3. Re: Import it to Hawaii by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      Fuck off

  6. It's all relative when some live on dirt floors by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

    I wish some galactic civilization would use Earth as a dumping grounds for its high-tech trash. Even if a little poisonous, can you imagine the boon to humanity?

    --
    (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
    1. Re:It's all relative when some live on dirt floors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's basically the premise of Roadside Picnic. Some aliens dump trash on earth while passing through, creating a very dangerous area that people explore to try and recover amazing technology. The novel is also the inspiration for S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl.

    2. Re:It's all relative when some live on dirt floors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Very strange. The Periodic Table of Elements is the same all across the universe, don't you think?

      At least, we hope it is. But we can't know this for sure.

      whatever "high tech trash" you think hypothetical aliens might dump here, would have to be made of materials we already have here anyways.

      Don't confuse the elements with the materials. There could be all sorts of materials we know nothing about made from elements we do, which have material properties we have no idea how to achieve.

      What do you think this could be, and why do you think we can't also invent it?

      What can someone invent that we haven't figured out how to invent yet? That's the stupidest thing you've said yet.

      (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.

      You seem stupid, and have a high 7-digit UID, so you must be new here if you think you get to dictate whatever the fuck the mods do.

    3. Re:It's all relative when some live on dirt floors by Gilgaron · · Score: 2

      Presumably an interstellar race would be capable of manufacturing techniques out of our reach even if we knew the materials. In the bronze age, a smith would be able to recognize and use meteoric steel, so, say, an M1 Garand wouldn't be made of materials foreign to him, but he could not duplicate it even if he could potentially discern how to use and repair it. There are a multitude of reasons that dumped alien tech might not actually be useful at all: the bronze age smith would think an iPhone was questionably useful, and doubly so once the battery ran out.

    4. Re:It's all relative when some live on dirt floors by jythie · · Score: 1

      And in the ultimate irony it turns out galactic level trash isn't much more advanced than what we already have.

    5. Re:It's all relative when some live on dirt floors by Gilgaron · · Score: 1

      And despite that we can imagine plenty of things we can't actually manage to build yet. It isn't likely that it is possible to jet around Star Trek style for anyone to leave their detritus here anyhow, but if it could be done it'd certainly involve techniques we yet lack. You're skewering arguments that aren't being made.

    6. Re:It's all relative when some live on dirt floors by i286NiNJA · · Score: 1

      See this is the thing. We don't know IF there are any interstellar species in the universe.
      We know that if they do exist and they made it here they can probably do certain things. But who knows maybe there are tons of them not much more advanced than us but their planetary resources are greater, maybe their proximity to other useful bodies in space is better.
      It could be that we're unlucky but even if we're in the space-sticks our visitors would probably have the means to get back to more dense parts of the galaxy.

  7. Re:Moscow Donald and Racist Rosanne's Tweets by sexconker · · Score: 1

    Donald Trump has been President for 495 days.

    And clowns like you have been screaming about this shit since before the election.

  8. What is better? by Labarna · · Score: 1

    So what is better, recycling as e-waste or just throwing into the landfill? There are a variety of things for which I am no longer certain. For example, what to do with old smoke detectors.

    1. Re:What is better? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've been switching to the photo detector type smoke detector,, without the albeit tiny, tiny piece of radioactive amercanium in them. There are several combo photo/CO alarms.

  9. Is this where E-cycle events dump their garbage? by GregMmm · · Score: 2

    So I'm sure you've seen either an e-cycle event at your job, state, county, etc. I've dropped off stuff before and it always "free". So is this what happens in the end? Does it just change hands a number of times till someone or company just pushes it elsewhere? Have I been fooling myself all this time thinking that when something is e-cycled it really is dealt with?

    Don't some electronic items have recycle costs built in? Should they? Say if it costs $10 to recycle an old laptop, should this be paid with the purchase?

    Not trying to be naive. Just thought someone thought this out to the end. I guess greed has no limit.

  10. Re: Moscow Donald and Racist Rosanne's Tweets by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Let's see...

    Obama has been president for...
    Bush has been president for...
    Clinton has been president for...
    Bush has been president for....

    Does it ever end? No matter who is in charge. People will troll and complain. Get over it. Stop feeding the trolls.

  11. Re:Is this where E-cycle events dump their garbage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Bing!. Welcome to the real world reality. Recycling is not profitable. And these recycling companies are preying off the feel good hippies that dump all this crap off. When in fact it would be better protected in your local landfill.

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  16. Re:Is this where E-cycle events dump their garbage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Find one that adheres to R2 and RIOS standards then. The first step to our recycling process is REUSE if it works in a fashion for key functionality.

    https://sustainableelectronics.org/r2-standard
    and
    http://www.rioscertification.org/

    if you would like to know more

  17. Re:Moscow Donald and Racist Rosanne's Tweets by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Moscow Donald's co-conspirators are facing serious criminal charges for crimes they committed on behalf of the Trump campaign.

    I guess the main difference between now and 495 days ago is a ton of treason committed from the Oval Office, and the fact that Trump's campaign manager is under house arrest, facing multiple criminal charges for his work on behalf of the Russia government.

    And of course the long trail of convictions and guilty please that the worst traitor in American history has left in his wake.

  18. Re:Moscow Donald and Racist Rosanne's Tweets by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Dude pass the blunt. I wanna have what you're smoking broooo

  19. sense of scale by CSMoran · · Score: 3, Interesting

    seven shipping containers each packed with about 22 tonnes

    A dump fire in Zgierz (Poland) has just conveniently consumed 50 thousand tonnes of plastic waste from Germany, Italy and Switzerland. There's been two dozen of similar (but smaller) fires in the last two months there. And these guys are worried about 150 tonnes?

    --
    Every end has half a stick.
    1. Re:sense of scale by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      Any links for that?
      I googled but did not find anything.

      As plastic is mostly recycled in Germany, the number(s) don't sound plausible.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    2. Re:sense of scale by CSMoran · · Score: 1

      Any links for that? I googled but did not find anything.

      As plastic is mostly recycled in Germany, the number(s) don't sound plausible.

      Only in Polish: https://www.money.pl/gospodark... I think the source is quite reputable.

      --
      Every end has half a stick.
  20. Re:Moscow Donald and Racist Rosanne's Tweets by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You can chief on this if you like, but Donald Trump's campaign manager is still going to be under house arrest thinking about all of the co-conspirators who have been charged or plead guilty for serious crimes related to Trump's collusion with Russia's government as it launches wave after wave of attacks on our country's elections.

  21. Re: Moscow Donald and Racist Rosanne's Tweets by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No evidence. Tough for you 4 more years of greatness. Here's a tissue and a coldpack for your rear end.

  22. Re: Moscow Donald and Racist Rosanne's Tweets by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What do you mean there is no evidence?

    Paul Manafort, Trump's campaign manager can't even leave his house because he is facing such serious criminal charges from his work on behalf of the Russian government.

    What about the criminal charges and guilty pleas that Moscow Donald's co-conspirators are facing? Is there no evidence leading to those guilty pleas and criminal charges?

    Tough for you that your best retort is so disconnected from reality that doesn't even pass the laugh test.

  23. Further reading about large scale electronic waste by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "According to a 2015 United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) report, somewhere between 60 and 90 percent of electronic waste is illegally traded and dumped in poor nations. Writes UNEP:"

    Well cited as usual, and interesting to find out why this is happening. This is a problem that is set to get much worse: If Solar Panels Are So Clean, Why Do They Produce So Much Toxic Waste?

  24. Good to have you back! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's blind faith because we don't know anything about aliens, including if they even exist.
    But we can assume that if such aliens exist they have technology far more advanced than our own unless they had some other advantage
    For example:
    A conveniently arranged solar system
    Low gravity
    An abundance of resources that help them get away from their planet
    Some biological feature that allows them to replicate across great distances, like spraying spores or something.
    Or perhaps they're a race of Epsilon TardChris Semi Morons who have had the good fortune to acquire technology from some other space faring entity. Like the paklids from star trek.

    Anyhow it's good to see that your ban was temporary.
    I saw the warm front coming across from the bay area on the weather report this morning but didn't realize that was all hot air from TCDR's deflated ego.

  25. Re: It's all relative when some live on dirt floor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Half smart is not smart enough

  26. Re: Moscow Donald and Racist Rosanne's Tweets by AutodidactLabrat · · Score: 1

    4 guilty pleas and no evidence
    What are you smoking and through which orifice?

  27. Where's WALL-E when you need him? by jtgd · · Score: 1

    There's a task for your new AI vision-enabled robots. Take apart all this junk -- down to the chips inside the DIPs -- so it can be recycled.

    --
    J