H.E. Varawut Silpa-archa, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE), ordered Pollution Control Department (PCD) to return goods to the country of origin in the case that PCD and Customs Department inspected imported goods from Australia, which weighed about 130 tons. The results showed that the goods were similar in all cabinets which were waste paper-mixed paper and mixed with other materials such as cloth bags, food packaging, masks, sanitary napkins, aerosol cans, and pill envelope. These are classified as prohibited goods from being imported into and from being brought in transit through the Kingdom.
Mr. Athapol Charoenshunsa, Director General of PCD revealed that yesterday (July 27, 2022), PCD and Customs Department inspected imported goods from Australia by Inter Pacific Paper Co., Ltd., which declared them as waste paper-mixed paper, tariff no. 4704.90.00, weighing approximately 130 tons at the Customs X-Rays and Technology center, Laem Chabang Port Customs Office, Chonburi Province. The results of the inspection of the goods in the containers were all similar: waste paper-mixed paper and mixed with other materials such as cloth bags, food packaging, masks, sanitary napkins, aerosol cans, and pill envelopes, etc. Approximately 20-30% of goods were considered as municipal waste, tariff no. 3825.10.00. All goods were prohibited from being imported into and from being brought in transit through the Kingdom according to the Notification of the Ministry of Commerce on determination of municipal waste as prohibited goods from being imported into and from being brought in transit through the Kingdom B.E. 2562 (2019).
Mr. Athapol said that H.E. Varawut Silpa-archa, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE), as the chairman of the subcommittee on the plastic waste and electronic-waste management, has ordered to follow the prosecution and promptly return of municipal waste goods to the countries of origin to comply with government policy. PCD will coordinate with Customs Department to act with the importers to return the municipal waste goods to the country of origin as soon as possible. In addition, PCD will coordinate with the Department of Foreign Trade to notify the authorities of the country of origin to emphasize this regulation so that private companies in the country of origin will be directed not to send goods that are considered municipal waste to Thailand.
Mr. Athapol also said that PCD and Customs Department discussed with Inter Pacific Paper Co., Ltd. and the company clarified that the goods will be used as raw materials for the production of rolled paper at a factory in Ban Sang District, Prachinburi Province. In the past, only about 4% of waste paper-mixed paper was imported from abroad to be used as raw materials, and the rest was used domestic waste paper. The reason for the import was due to insufficient domestic white pulp waste paper. Previously, it had been imported with the purchase contract requiring that the additives were not more than 1% by weight. Contaminated plastic waste that is sorted out at the plant is sent as supplementary fuel at the cement plant. However, the company is ready to follow the advice of government agencies to be correct. Regarding the issue of legal offenses, it shall be in accordance with the actions of Customs Department. Moreover, the company will increase the strict inspection of the products at the origin to prevent such incidents again.