My Take | Environmental watchdog is all bark and no bite when it comes to e-waste from the US
Americans are shipping their electronic waste to Hong Kong, seemingly with impunity, and we are paying the price
The United States is the world’s greatest exporter of electronic waste, and Hong Kong has become one of its main recipients. This is shameful on so many levels.
The US is the only industrialised country that has refused to ratify the Basel Convention, the international treaty that bans developed economies from dumping hazardous waste on other countries.
Hong Kong and the mainland have signed on to the convention. But agencies like the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) have shown a woeful lack of oversight.
The mainland used to be the main dumping ground for e-waste, and Hong Kong’s New Territories used to serve as a transit point. But following a crackdown on the mainland, the New Territories, especially Yuen Long, has become the final destination.
Now, thanks to a multi-year investigation by the US environmental watchdog Basel Action Network (BAN), the reality of e-waste dumping in Hong Kong can no longer be denied.