Thailand is in urgent need of a new law to enter the new age of waste management as the amount of electronic waste entering landfills and being dumped on public land threatens public health and the environment, activists say.
The Electrical and Electronic Equipment Waste Management (WEEE law) bill, drafted by the Department of Pollution Control (DPC), is now out for comment and undergoing public hearings.
Stakeholders, especially key players such as electronic entrepreneurs, are being asked to take more responsibility for hazardous waste. The bill includes provision for a hazardous waste tax, recycling, and a compulsory take-back scheme where manufacturers have to take back old products when consumers turn up to buy new ones.
The bill is expected to go to the National Legislative Assembly by next February.
The legal measure will deal with the increasing amount of electronic waste, said the DPC's chief Wichien Jungrungruang.
The hazardous waste contains heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury that can contaminate the environment and harm the public's health, he said.
The bill focuses on modern management techniques, some of which are a first for the country, such as waste separation.
It also includes provision for a waste collection centre, and waste-recycling plants. These will remove the hazardous parts and also bring the recyclable parts back into the industry.
According to the department's figures, the industry last year generated waste from electric and electronic equipment amounting to 368,314 tonnes, up from 359,070 tonnes in 2012.
The amount is expected to increase further due to rising demand for electronic products and policies such as the One Tablet, One Child scheme and the move to digital TV.
The state is giving away 22 million set-top boxes — future electronic waste.
Under the bill, dumping electronic or electrical equipment in a public space will be made illegal. A consumer is required to return such waste to the retailer or waste collectors only.
A retailer is obliged to take back the old item when a consumer buys a new product, regardless of the brand of the old item.
"We are entering a new age of waste management, which requires cooperation from everyone," he said. If waste separation goes ahead successfully, he said the amount of waste will be cut by half.
"If everything goes well with the plan, public health and the environment should improve, especially in many villages in the Isan region, which have fallen to poor management," he added.
He referred to villages in Buri Ram province which have acted as "waste collecting hubs" where villagers separate electric and electronic waste with their bare hands inside their homes.
Many residents were also found to have high levels of heavy metal in their blood, resulting from direct exposure to the electronic goods.
Environmental activist Srisuwan Janya said the law change is needed urgently.
The Factory Act 1992 imposes some controls, but reports of toxic waste being dumped in public places are still widespread. "Haven't we heard enough of this illegal practice, which goes on without anyone being punished?" he asked.
The activist fears some operators will try to find loopholes to avoid the new regime.
Manufacturers will have to draw up a waste management plan under the bill.
If an electrical appliances manufacturer and a waste management company set up a joint venture, the manufacturer could claim the waste management firm's record of disposal as its own, allowing them to avoid the controls envisaged under its management plan.
The activist suggested a life-cycle practice, adopted in many countries, where consumers have to register their names for any electronic products bought. The products will have to be returned to the manufacturers once the appliances are no longer wanted.
Manufacturers will also have to pay a waste tax under the bill. He said funds raised from the tax should be spent on educating small-waste collectors.
Mr Srisuwan said he was worried the price of electronic appliances will increase if manufacturers are obliged to manage their waste, as they would pass on the burden to consumers.
Sorting things out: A bill expected to go before the National Legislative Assembly is targeting the problem of electronics dumping. The heavy metals contained in these products harm the environment and can even poison people who come into contact. (Photo by Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)
Hundreds or thousands of small mountains of e-waste have sprung up across Thailand. Almost all are toxic, yet attract scavengers and families trying to cannibalise or retrieve useful material for sale and earn survival incomes - while putting everyone at enormous health risk. (Photo by Greenpeace)