BANGKOK, Thailand – Over 736,000 kilograms of hazardous metal waste were seized and removed under Thailand’s environmental safety policy.
Deputy Government Spokesperson Sasikan Wattanachan confirmed the operation followed Prime Minister’s directive to block the import of hazardous waste.
The Customs Department, working with the Department of Industrial Works, the Department of Special Investigation, and the Port Authority of Thailand, inspected 36 shipping containers from Morocco. The cargo, labeled as “zinc concentrate,” weighed 736,425 kilograms.
X-ray fluorescence scanning revealed it contained 32.2% zinc, 13.5% iron, and dangerous levels of lead, cadmium, and antimony. The findings classified the material as hazardous under the Basel Convention.
Authorities coordinated to re-export the cargo, preventing toxic waste from entering Thailand. The effort aligns with international agreements that prohibit the transfer of hazardous materials from developed to developing countries.
From October last year to June this year, Thai authorities intercepted nearly 1.5 million kilograms of illegal imports. This included 505 metric tons of electronic waste across 37 cases, 445.12 tons of plastic scrap from 13 cases, and nearly 499.65 tons of zinc oxide from two cases.
The government reaffirmed its stance against turning Thailand into a dumping ground and vowed continued strict action against violators to safeguard public health and the environment. (NNT)
