Chonburi (Thailand), 16 August 2024 – Laem Chabang is the busiest port in Thailand, with an average of 10,000 shipping containers whizzing in and out every day. It is precisely this large through-put that traffickers target to ship illegal waste.
Last month, a group of Thai officials and UNODC experts visited the port and discussed environmental protection measures to target waste trafficking. These are much-needed measures to facilitate legal trade in support of a transition towards a circular economy.
Thai officials shared their efforts to curb illegal waste imports through the plastic waste import ban that will stop plastic waste imports in all areas as of January 2025. They also announced the upcoming Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Management Act.
The Waste Trafficking Taskforce for Thailand ̶ a multi-agency taskforce ̶ convened to discuss the next steps for Thai authorities following the recommendations from prior consultation meetings with UNODC.
“Inter-agency cooperation and international partnerships are key to enhancing policy and data exchange in waste trafficking and management,” said Songkhla Sohame, the Director of the Customs Control Section of Laem Chabang Customs Office, which hosted the taskforce.
Facilitated by UNODC, the task force was formed in 2022 to increase connectivity among major actors and achieve a structured response to waste trafficking. Members of the taskforce, such as the Customs Department, the Pollution Control Department, the Department of Industrial Works, the Royal Thai Police, and the Office of the Attorney’s General convened to continue previous discussions on cooperation mechanisms between regulatory agencies, law enforcement, and criminal justice institutions.
In parallel with destination countries like Thailand, environmental regulators in the European Union (EU) are advancing monitoring measures in their waste exports to countries outside the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
“The new EU Waste Shipments Regulation sets out stricter rules on the export of waste to non-OECD countries,” said Andreas Roettger, First Counsellor and Head of Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) in the Regional Team for Asia/Pacific of the European Union Delegation to Thailand. “The Regulation will also increase traceability and facilitate the shipments of waste for recycling and re-use. Teaming up with Thailand and other countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations region, also through the Unwaste action, is important to better manage this issue and to protect together environment and public health while advancing the circular economy”.
In addition to discussions on the current state of play, the task force members visited the Laem Chabang Port together to understand the roles and functions of Customs Officers. The visit offered a law enforcement dimension to the taskforce’s dialogues, with a focus on customs clearance processes, risk management procedures to identify suspicious shipments, and an on-site demonstration of container inspection.
Recent illegal cases found in major ports of Thailand were also part of the discussion between competent authorities and frontline and law enforcement officers. A recurring problem authorities found is a considerable amount municipal waste, banned from import in Thailand, declared as paper waste.
“In spite of the huge progress Thailand is seeing on plastic waste, less strictly regulated waste such as paper waste is still problematic for frontline officers, as the permissible level of contamination remains unclear,” said Ioana Cotutiu, Unwaste project coordinator in Southeast Asia.
These challenges remain to be discussed in the upcoming activities supported by the Unwaste project. The third Waste Trafficking Taskforce for Thailand brought together all relevant national stakeholders, reinforcing strong partnerships to overcome ongoing challenges in combating waste trafficking while progressing towards the country’s circular economy goals.
The Unwaste project is implemented by the UNODC Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, in cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme, and benefits from the financial support of the European Union.
Click here to learn more about the Unwaste project.
Click here to learn more about UNODC's Regional Programme for Southeast Asia.
Click here to learn more about UNODC’s Global Programme on Crimes that Affect the Environment.
