The Thai cabinet has approved in principle the draft announcement of the Ministry of Commerce on the designation of electronic waste as a prohibited product for import into the Kingdom.

The purpose is to improve the list of electronic waste items and the customs tariff for hazardous waste under the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste and its Disposal from the Harmonized System of 2017 to the Harmonized System of 2022, by increasing the number from the original 428 items to 463 items.

The ban is expected to reduce the amount of waste imported for disposal and lower pollution, which harms both the environment and public health.