Batam officials document six containers of electronic waste on Sept 9, 2025, allegedly imported from the United States to the Riau Islands by PT Esun International Utama Indonesia. - Photo: Antara
JAKARTA: Authorities have launched an investigation into the suspected illegal importation of toxic electronic waste (e-waste) from the United States, following the arrival of 19 shipping containers allegedly containing hazardous materials at Batu Ampar Port in Batam, the Riau Islands.
Head of the Batam Customs Office, Zaky Firmansyah, said the office, together with the Batam Development Authority (BP Batam) and the Environment Ministry, would inspect the shipment later this week.
“The Environment Ministry will assess whether the contents of the containers meet the criteria for hazardous and toxic materials,” Zaky told The Jakarta Post on Monday (Sept 29).
The case surfaced after the Basel Action Network (BAN), a global environmental watchdog based in the US, alerted Indonesia’s permanent mission to international organisations in Geneva about a potentially illegal shipment of e-waste to the country.
BAN is known for tracking and exposing the flow of hazardous waste, especially e-waste, from developed to developing countries.
One of the companies allegedly involved in importing the e-waste is PT Esun International Utama Indonesia, an export-import and recycling company that recently shipped six containers of e-waste from the US to Batam, according to the Environment Ministry.
An initial inspection revealed that the containers were filled with a variety of damaged computer parts, including laptop chargers, hard drives, printed circuit boards (PCBs) and monitors.
Indonesian regulations classify these items as hazardous and toxic materials (B3), which require special handling and disposal to prevent long-term harm to the environment and public health.
Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said the e-waste was allegedly imported without prior notification between exporting and importing countries as required.
“Indonesia is fully committed to upholding the Basel Convention. The government will not tolerate illegal practices that harm the public,” Hanif said on Sept 23, referring to the international treaty that regulates the transboundary movement of hazardous waste and their disposal. Indonesia ratified the convention in 1993.
Hanif also said the alleged e-waste import violated articles 69 and 106 of the 2009 Environment Law, which carry sentences of five to 10 years in prison and a fine of between Rp 3 billion (US$180,000) and Rp 10 billion.
The ministry had originally scheduled the closure of Esun on Sept 22, but the plan was abruptly called off after hundreds of the company’s workers allegedly threatened to block the move by staging a protest.
Despite ratifying the Basel Convention decades ago, the country continues to struggle with the rampant importation of toxic waste.
Earlier this month, the government announced plans to reexport 14 containers of scrap metal imported from the Philippines after they were found to be contaminated with cesium-137 (Cs-137), a radioactive by-product of nuclear fission.
Coordinating Economy Minister Zulkifli Hasan said the incident highlighted an urgent need to strengthen oversight and control over imported waste to prevent similar risks in the future.
“A special task force has been formed to handle this case. We are also reviewing and strengthening regulations, especially for [waste materials] like scrap,” the senior minister said on Sept 12.
The discovery came just weeks after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned of radioactive contamination in some exports of frozen shrimp from Indonesia. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
