U.S. E-Waste Exports Fuel Environmental Crisis in Southeast Asia, Report Finds
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – A new report alleges the United States is increasingly becoming a primary source of electronic waste (e-waste) flooding Southeast Asia, creating a “hidden tsunami” of pollution and endangering vulnerable workers.The report, released today, details how U.S. e-waste is being shipped to Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and the United Arab Emirates, often in violation of international and national laws.
While the U.S. generates the moast e-waste globally, a meaningful portion is being exported, effectively transferring environmental burdens to developing nations. The report estimates that U.S. e-waste shipments may have comprised approximately 6% of all U.S. exports to Malaysia between 2023 and 2025, a trend exacerbated by China’s 2017 ban on foreign waste imports which prompted Chinese businesses to relocate operations to Southeast Asia.This influx strains local waste management systems, overwhelms existing infrastructure, and exposes workers to hazardous conditions.
“It simply means the country is being overwhelmed with what is essentially pollution transfer from other nations,” said the report’s author.
The report highlights a pattern of illegal shipments and lax oversight, with containers falsely labeled or lacking proper documentation. In receiving countries,”undocumented workers desperate for jobs” are reportedly working in unsafe,makeshift facilities,dismantling devices without protective gear and inhaling toxic fumes from processes like wire stripping and plastic melting.
Authorities in Thailand and malaysia have recently taken action, seizing significant quantities of illegally imported U.S. e-waste. in May, Thai authorities seized 238 tons of U.S. scrap at Bangkok’s port, and in June, Malaysian authorities confiscated e-waste valued at $118 million in nationwide raids. Though, much of the processing occurs in illegal facilities lacking environmental safeguards, according to SiPeng Wong, of Malaysia’s centre to Combat Corruption & Cronyism.
The report frames the practice as a form of “waste colonialism,” where wealthier nations offload their environmental problems onto less developed countries. Jim Puckett of the basel Action Network described Malaysia as having “suddenly become this mecca of junk” following China’s import ban. The Basel Convention prohibits the export of hazardous waste, including much e-waste, from developed to developing countries, but enforcement remains a challenge.
