American E-Waste Shipment 'Hidden Tsunami' Affects Southeast Asia: Report
The Seattle-based Basel Action Network accuses US companies of exporting millions of tons of used electronics to developing countries in Asia unprepared to handle hazardous waste.
HANOI: Millions of tons of discarded electronics from the United States are being shipped overseas, much of it to developing countries in Southeast Asia that are unprepared to safely handle hazardous waste.
This is according to a new report by the Seattle-based Basel Action Network (BAN), released on Wednesday.
The report reveals that at least 10 US companies have been found to be exporting used electronics to Asia and the Middle East over the past two years, creating what BAN describes as a 'hidden tsunami' of electronic waste.
According to BAN, this practice not only benefits the involved recycling sector but also sends significant portions of American public and corporate IT equipment to Southeast Asia for processing under harmful conditions.
Electronic waste, or e-waste, includes discarded devices such as phones and computers that contain valuable materials and toxic metals like lead, cadmium, and mercury.
As technology evolves and gadgets are replaced more frequently, global e-waste production is growing at a rate five times faster than it is formally recycled.
The world produced a record 62 million metric tons of e-waste in 2022, with this figure expected to climb to 82 million by 2030 according to the United Nations' International Telecommunication Union and UNITAR.
Much of the American e-waste ends up in landfills in Asia, leaching toxic chemicals into the environment.
Some of it is also taken to informal scrapyards where workers burn or dismantle devices by hand, often without protection, releasing toxic fumes and scrap.
According to BAN's findings, around 2,000 containers, totaling approximately 33,000 metric tons, of used electronics leave US ports every month.
BAN identified the companies involved in these shipments as 'e-waste brokers,' which typically do not recycle the waste themselves but instead send it to companies in developing countries.
The report estimates that between January 2023 and February 2025, these 10 companies exported more than 10,000 containers of potential e-waste valued at over $1 billion, with industry-wide trade potentially reaching $200 million per month.
Six of the identified companies did not respond to emailed requests for comment.
Semsotai claimed it does not export scrap and only works with components for reuse, while PPM Recycling stated that BAN had exaggerated shipment volumes and followed US and international rules.
Greenland Resource said it was reviewing the allegations internally but could not comment further without seeing the report.
Some of these companies hold R2V3 certifications, which are meant to ensure electronics are recycled safely and responsibly, raising questions about the value of such certifications.
Several of them operate out of California, despite the state's strict e-waste laws requiring full reporting and proper downstream handling of electronic and universal waste.
Many of these e-waste containers go to countries that have banned imports under the Basel Convention, which is an international treaty that bars hazardous waste trade from non-signatories like the US.
The report suggests that shipments are often declared under trade codes that do not match those for electronic waste in order to evade detection.
Efforts by Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand and Malaysia to control these imports have led to recent seizures of e-waste shipments.
In May, Thai authorities seized 238 tons of US e-waste at Bangkok's port, while Malaysian authorities confiscated e-waste worth $118 million in nationwide raids in June.
These actions highlight the strain local facilities face in managing domestic waste when confronted with such large volumes of imported e-waste.
The Basel Action Network views this practice as a form of 'waste colonialism,' arguing that it exploits developing nations' efforts to manage their own waste and strains local resources.
This is according to a new report by the Seattle-based Basel Action Network (BAN), released on Wednesday.
The report reveals that at least 10 US companies have been found to be exporting used electronics to Asia and the Middle East over the past two years, creating what BAN describes as a 'hidden tsunami' of electronic waste.
According to BAN, this practice not only benefits the involved recycling sector but also sends significant portions of American public and corporate IT equipment to Southeast Asia for processing under harmful conditions.
Electronic waste, or e-waste, includes discarded devices such as phones and computers that contain valuable materials and toxic metals like lead, cadmium, and mercury.
As technology evolves and gadgets are replaced more frequently, global e-waste production is growing at a rate five times faster than it is formally recycled.
The world produced a record 62 million metric tons of e-waste in 2022, with this figure expected to climb to 82 million by 2030 according to the United Nations' International Telecommunication Union and UNITAR.
Much of the American e-waste ends up in landfills in Asia, leaching toxic chemicals into the environment.
Some of it is also taken to informal scrapyards where workers burn or dismantle devices by hand, often without protection, releasing toxic fumes and scrap.
According to BAN's findings, around 2,000 containers, totaling approximately 33,000 metric tons, of used electronics leave US ports every month.
BAN identified the companies involved in these shipments as 'e-waste brokers,' which typically do not recycle the waste themselves but instead send it to companies in developing countries.
The report estimates that between January 2023 and February 2025, these 10 companies exported more than 10,000 containers of potential e-waste valued at over $1 billion, with industry-wide trade potentially reaching $200 million per month.
Six of the identified companies did not respond to emailed requests for comment.
Semsotai claimed it does not export scrap and only works with components for reuse, while PPM Recycling stated that BAN had exaggerated shipment volumes and followed US and international rules.
Greenland Resource said it was reviewing the allegations internally but could not comment further without seeing the report.
Some of these companies hold R2V3 certifications, which are meant to ensure electronics are recycled safely and responsibly, raising questions about the value of such certifications.
Several of them operate out of California, despite the state's strict e-waste laws requiring full reporting and proper downstream handling of electronic and universal waste.
Many of these e-waste containers go to countries that have banned imports under the Basel Convention, which is an international treaty that bars hazardous waste trade from non-signatories like the US.
The report suggests that shipments are often declared under trade codes that do not match those for electronic waste in order to evade detection.
Efforts by Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand and Malaysia to control these imports have led to recent seizures of e-waste shipments.
In May, Thai authorities seized 238 tons of US e-waste at Bangkok's port, while Malaysian authorities confiscated e-waste worth $118 million in nationwide raids in June.
These actions highlight the strain local facilities face in managing domestic waste when confronted with such large volumes of imported e-waste.
The Basel Action Network views this practice as a form of 'waste colonialism,' arguing that it exploits developing nations' efforts to manage their own waste and strains local resources.
