09/04/2026
PRESS RELEASE: BAN Praises Southeast Asian Governments and Urges Further Action to Crack Down on Illegal E-Waste Dumping
Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia pushing back against a growing wave of hazardous electronic waste shipments following BAN's intelligence alerts
[Seattle / Kuala Lumpur / Bangkok / Jakarta. April 7, 2026] The Basel Action Network (BAN) today commends the governments of Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia for taking strong actions against illegal imports of hazardous electronic waste, primarily from waste brokers in the United States (US) that pose as recyclers but instead, ship containers of e-waste across the ocean to Southeast Asia. The actions taken by targeted countries include searches and seizures of containers, prosecutions of government officials for corruption, as well as raids on informal, unpermitted factories across the region.
■ Malaysia bans e-waste imports, repatriates hundreds of containers, and prosecutes 2 officials for corruption.
Malaysia, the hardest hit country in the last five years, has now sent a clear message that the region is no longer willing to serve as a dumping ground for foreign e-waste. On April 1, authorities formalized a full ban on e-waste imports, and are taking steps to re-export more than 800 containers seized in Port Klang back to their countries of origin.This follows strict instructions to prosecute anyone involved in corruption, with two DOE officials so far charged with taking bribes. From 2021 to 2025, more than half of 1,241 containers inspected contained e-waste, while raids on more than 122 e-waste recycling premises in 2025 have led to 85 court cases brought to court.
Raids are ongoing, with authorities consistently uncovering violations of the country’s labor, environmental and business laws.
■ Thailand seizes containers with scrap and e-waste, BAN attends container opening, repatriation to follow.
At the same time, in mid-March, Thailand which already bans e-waste imports, recently announced it would return 284 tonnes of illegal e-waste to the US following an investigation led by the Minister of Environment, which BAN, EARTH Thailand, and the United Nations' Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) attended. Soon after that, Thai Basel Convention Competent Authority, the Department of Industrial Works, continued enforcement operations based on BAN’s alerts and seized five additional containers declared as aluminum scrap, which were mixed with electronic circuit board fragments, foam, wires, tires, and plastics.
■ Indonesia detains over 800 including those sent by US Broker CEWs, repatriation has begun
In Batam, Indonesia, 70 containers have reportedly been re-exported back to the country of origin by authorities in one of the most significant waste trafficking enforcement actions ever seen in the region. So common were the imports, mostly from the US, that the port has run out of space to contain them. Many of the shipments were exported by Corporate e-Waste Solutions based in California --- one of the 10 “Brokers of Shame” identified by BAN in a recent report.
■ Actions follow BAN’s Operation Can Opener intelligence alerts
These recent enforcement actions did not happen in a vacuum. Through its Operation Can Opener program, related investigations and reporting, BAN and its local partners have spent the last year providing intelligence, trade data, and field-based evidence to help authorities identify suspect waste shipments and expose the actors behind them.
“Malaysia’s most recent stance is exactly what we need,” said Ms. Mageswari Sangaralingam of Sahabat Alam (Friends of the Earth Malaysia). “An import ban must be backed by vigilant enforcement, transparency, and accountability at every level. Communities should not have to pay the price for pollution enabled by corruption, weak oversight, or profiteering disguised as recycling. This trade is criminal and must be punished with the full weight of the law."
“Thailand’s decision to inspect these containers and move toward repatriation is an important example of how governments can act decisively when faced with illegal waste imports,” said Ms. Penchom Saetang, executive director of EARTH Thailand. “What matters now is that these materials are returned back to the country of origin. This is a transnational crime that requires investigations of all involved in both exporting and importing countries, and strict enforcement must continue.”
In Indonesia, BAN and partner organizations Nexus3 Foundation and Ecoton have called on authorities to prosecute the importers and ensure that all illegal shipments are returned to their countries of origin, with full public disclosure of container numbers, exporters, consignees, and re-export outcomes.
“Indonesia now has an opportunity to join their neighbours in setting a strong regional precedent,” said Ms. Yuyun Ismawati of Nexus3 Foundation. “No seized e-waste should be sold at auction or diverted into domestic processing streams, even to be “destroyed”. As a champion of the Basel Convention, Indonesia understands that Illegal shipments must be returned to the senders. The public deserves full transparency.”
■ Meanwhile, leadership fails in the United States
"This heavy burden cannot remain on Southeast Asian governments to police waste trafficking driven by exporters in wealthy countries such as the US” said Jim Puckett, BAN Founder. “The inspiring actions of these three governments stand in stark contrast to the callous disregard by the US and California governments, their businesses and their institutions. The US must stop looking the other way while its recycling businesses exploit loopholes, falsely declare hazardous cargo, and externalize the very real human and environmental costs to developing countries."
He urged all consumers and businesses to only use e-recyclers that are held to the highest standards of ethics and responsibility. BAN has created the e-Stewards Certification program to ensure just such accountability.
END
■ For more information:
Jim Puckett, Founder, Basel Action Network
email: [email protected]
Yuyun Ismawati, Co-Founder and Senior Advisor, Nexus3 Foundation, Indonesia
email: [email protected]
Mageswari Sangaralingam, CEO of Consumer Association of Penang and honorary secretary of Sahabat Alam Malaysia
email: [email protected]
Penchom Saetang, Director, EARTH Thailand
email: [email protected]
■ About Basel Action Network
Founded in 1997, the Basel Action Network is a 501(c)3 charitable organization of the United States, based in Seattle, WA. BAN is the world's only organization focused on confronting the global environmental justice and economic inefficiency of toxic trade and its devastating impacts. Today, BAN serves as the information clearinghouse on the subject of waste trade for journalists, academics, and the general public. Through its investigations, BAN uncovered the tragedy of hazardous electronic and toxic waste dumping in developing countries. For more information, see https://www.ban.org/
Photo: Thai government holds press inspection conference, opening 18 containers with BAN, UNODC and Environment Minister in attendance. March 10, 2026, Laem Chabang port. Copyright BAN.
