The U.S. environmental protection organization Basel Action Network (BAN) placed 200 GPS-based tracking devices on dumped electronics at various U.S. electronics recyclers, and found that after detours along the way, the majority of this e-waste has ended up in different electronic junkyards in the New Territories in Hong Kong.
According to an investigation carried out by the Hong Kong newspaper HK01 and BAN, Hong Kong has become the major dumping ground for the illegal international e-waste trade.
The action taken by the Environmental Bureau against such illegal activities has been inadequate; the few successfully prosecuted cases have resulted in fines of only tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars.
Wong Kam-sing (黃錦星), Hong Kong’s Secretary for the Environment, has been singled out by BAN for not taking the problem seriously and for rationalizing such illegal activities and damaging the environment of Hong Kong. According to HK01’s latest follow-up report, there has been no improvement in the situation.
Editor: Edward White
