1152 - 07/18 - Waste ban in Thailand

Members are advised that the government in Thailand is implementing strict measures to ensure that prohibited plastic waste is not permitted to be imported or entered into the country. This follows a recent national police investigation, with the discovery of smuggled & prohibited waste.

Bangkok port has announced that it will not discharge import containers that contain plastic waste, electronic waste or hazardous waste until further consideration is made. Furthermore, TICTA (Thai International Container and Terminal Association) has also reserved the right not to discharge containers containing this waste.

It has been reported that these measures are causing some difficulty to containers loaded before the announcement was made and also to transhipped cargo.

As the announcement of Port Authority and TICTA appears to be contrary to regulations that allow some waste to be imported into Thailand, it has been reported that TICTA and BSAA (Bangkok Ships Owner and Agent Association) are meeting with representatives of Department of Industrial Works and Custom Authority to discuss in more detail.

Source of Information

Loss Prevention