KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has been identified as the primary recipient of discarded electronics waste from the United States, said the Basel Action Network (BAN).
Releasing a new investigative report, “Brokers of Shame: The New Tsunami of American e-Waste Exports to Asia”, BAN has documented how a group of large United States brokers appear to be facilitating a billion-dollar trade in exporting electronic waste to developing countries.
"Based on trade data, field observations and independent GPS tracking, our findings indicate that significant volumes of electronics from the United States continue to be exported to countries that have prohibited their import and often lack capacity for managing them.
"As enforcement actions in these countries show, this unwelcome or illegal trade thrives and persists, raising urgent ethical, environmental and legal concerns," it said in a statement on Wednesday (Oct 22).
BAN said the report found that containers tracked by BAN were routed through and to, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and the United Arab Emirates despite clear bans under the Basel Convention and national regulations for these countries to lawfully receive this waste.
"Our research estimates that each month, approximately 2,000 shipping containers (roughly 32,947 metric tonnes) that may be filled with discarded electronics waste are leaving American ports.
"These containers are destined for countries that have banned their import and are far less equipped to safely handle them.
"Between January 2023 and February 2025, the 10 highlighted “brokers of shame” from the United States collectively appear to have exported more than 10,000 containers of possible e-waste, which would be valued at over US$1bil.
"This could exceed US$200mil in traded waste each month - with Malaysia, a Basel Convention state, identified as the primary recipient.
"During the study period, BAN estimates that e-waste shipments (from the US) may have represented nearly 6% of all US trade to Malaysia, underscoring the staggering scale of this toxic trade," it added.
BAN founder Jim Puckett said these companies present themselves as responsible recyclers helping to solve the e-waste crisis.
"Our data and field investigations show a troubling pattern of exports that appear inconsistent with both United States and international efforts to ensure safe and legal handling of hazardous waste.
"These practices undermine public trust, the rule of law, industry certifications and the protection of human health and the environment," he said.
BAN said the scale of the e-waste issues continues to surge worldwide.
"In 2022, a record 62 million tonnes of e-waste was produced, and this is projected to rise 32% to 82 million tonnes in 2030.
"Based on figures from the United Nations, only 17–22% of e-waste is formally collected and recycled.
"The Brokers of Shame report shows that the United States remains the only industrialised nation that has not ratified the Basel Convention, and is one of only six countries in the world that has failed to do so," BAN said.
For the full report, visit https://www.ban.org/reports/brokers-of-shame.
