News

Bangkok Post 21 January 2020 | William Hicks

Increase in waste imports from China may mean no net decrease from government plan

The recent ban on single-use plastic bags at major retailers created a stir for consumers and businesses, with social media abuzz with workarounds such as shoppers using wheelbarrows and stockings to carry off their 7-Eleven hauls. But is this step enough to reduce Thailand's massive plastic waste epidemic?

Bangkok Post 16 January 2020 | Apinya Wipatayotin and Anchalee Kongrut

The sustainability of the government's flagship Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) plan is at risk of being stymied by drought and water conflicts, water experts warn.

Signs of looming water wars between residents along the corridor and industrial projects have already appeared.

Sustainability Times 14 January 2020 | Darunee Sukanan

Thailand is one of the world’s worst plastic polluters, but local businesses are taking steps to change that. Numerous retailers, including convenience stores, have stopped giving out single-use plastic bags to customers this year.

Bloomberg 17 December 2019 | Sohee Kim and Stephen Stapczynski

Samsung Electronics Co. Board Chairman Lee Sang-hoon was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Tuesday after being found guilty of obstructing the formation of the company’s labor union, according to the Seoul Central District Court.

The New York Times 08 December 2019 | By Hannah Beech and Ryn Jirenuwat

The e-waste industry is booming in Southeast Asia, frightening residents worried for their health. Despite a ban on imports, Thailand is a center of the business.

KOH KHANUN, Thailand — Crouched on the ground in a dimly lit factory, the women picked through the discarded innards of the modern world: batteries, circuit boards and bundles of wires.

Electronics and Shipping Industry Called "Shameful" in Seeking Exemptions

PRESS RELEASE: Seattle, WA, USA. 5 December 2019. The Basel Ban Amendment, adopted by the Parties to the Basel Convention on the Control of the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous and Their Disposal in 1995,

The Nation 31 October 2019  

The amount of waste shipped to Thailand from around the world skyrocketed by 2,000-7,000 per cent between 2017 and this year, according to the watchdog group Earth (Ecological Alert and Recovery – Thailand).

The dramatic leap came after China decided it no longer wanted to be the world’s garbage bin and halted all imports of waste, which it had initially accepted because of the money to be made from recycling.

EARTH 21 October 2019

Bangkok, Thailand: High levels of lead have been discovered on public playground equipment. The painted play equipment containing dangerous levels of lead poses a serious lead poisoning risk for young children. Environmental health advocates call for urgent action to enforce the ban on the sale and use of lead paint, especially for applications that can expose children to lead contamination.

The Ecological Alert and Recovery - Thailand (EARTH) sounded the alarm over lead-painted play equipment as the UN-backed International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week of Action is observed from October 20-26 with the focus on eliminating lead paint.

08 September 2019 - Croatia's 6th of September deposit of ratification of the 1995 Basel Ban Amendment has allowed this global waste dumping prohibition to finally enter into the force of international law. The Ban Amendment, adopted by the parties to the Basel Convention in 1995, prohibits, the export of hazardous wastes from member states of the European Union, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and Liechtenstein to all other countries. With Croatia's ratification, a total of 97 countries have now ratified the ban and most crucially the necessary 3/4 of the parties that were present and voting in 1995. The agreement will become a new Article in the Convention and will enter into force for the 97 countries after 90 days -- December 5th, 2019.

The Nation 05 August 2019

Thirty members of the Network of Eastern Friends led by Gunn Tattiyakul, an NGO activist and coordinator for the Padrew community for sustainable development, protested in front of Government House on Monday while the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) policy committee met inside.