Investing.com - Financial Markets Worldwide
⭐ Start off 2025 with a powerful boost to your portfolio: January’s freshest AI-picked stocksUnlock stocks

SE Asia should ban foreign trash imports - environmentalists

Published 06/18/2019, 05:36 PM
Updated 06/18/2019, 05:40 PM
SE Asia should ban foreign trash imports - environmentalists

By Patpicha Tanakasempipat
BANGKOK, June 18 (Reuters) - Environmental groups called on
Tuesday for Southeast Asian countries to ban waste imports from
developed countries to help tackle a pollution crisis, as
regional leaders prepare to meet this week in Bangkok.
Southeast Asia has seen a staggering spike in imports of
plastic and electronic waste from developed countries after the
world's top recycler, China, banned imports, causing millions of
tonnes of the trash to be diverted to less regulated countries.
Thailand will from Thursday host four days of meetings for
leaders of the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations
(ASEAN) to discuss the region's most pressing issues.
"Greenpeace Southeast Asia demands that ASEAN leaders put
this issue on the agenda during their summits this year and make
a united declaration to address the region's plastic waste
crisis," the group said in a statement.
"Declare an immediate ban on all imports of plastic waste,"
Greenpeace urged.
It was in the interests of ASEAN, whose meetings are being
held under the theme of sustainability this year, to ban waste
trading, said a Thai environmental group.
"Welcoming plastics and electronic waste from abroad in the
name of development must urgently end," said Penchom Saetang,
director of Ecological Alert and Recovery Thailand (EARTH)
Foundation.
Some Southeast Asian countries have in recent months been
taking action to stem the flow of trash.
Indonesia was the latest to reject trash imports from
Canada, following similar moves by Malaysia and the Philippines.
Thailand does not ban plastic waste imports, but it aims to
end them by 2020. It imposes partial bans on electronic scrap.

Latest comments

Install Our App
Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2025 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.