Discarded electronics from U.S. causing ‘e-waste tsunami’ in Southeast Asia, watchdog says

PPM Recycling told The Associated Press it complies with all regulations and accurately handles shipments through certified partners.

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Millions of tons of discarded electronics from the United States are being shipped overseas, much of it to developing countries in Southeast Asia unprepared to safely handle hazardous waste, according to a new report released Wednesday by an environmental watchdog.

The Seattle-based Basel Action Network, or BAN, said a two-year investigation found at least 10 U.S. companies exporting used electronics to Asia and the Middle East, in what it says is a 'hidden tsunami' of electronic waste.

'This new, almost invisible tsunami of e-waste, is taking place … padding already lucrative profit margins of the electronics recycling sector while allowing a major portion of the American public's and corporate IT equipment to be surreptitiously exported to and processed under harmful conditions in Southeast Asia,' the report said.

Growing e-waste

Electronic waste, or e-waste, includes discarded devices like phones and computers containing both valuable materials and toxic metals like lead, cadmium and mercury. As gadgets are replaced faster, global e-waste is growing five times quicker than it's formally recycled.

The world produced a record 62 million metric tons in 2022. That's expected to climb to 82 million by 2030, according to the United Nations' International Telecommunication Union and its research arm, UNITAR.

Toxic chemicals

That American e-waste adds to the burden for Asia, which already produces nearly half the world's total. Much of it is dumped in landfills, leaching toxic chemicals into the environment. Some ends up in informal scrapyards, where workers burn or dismantle devices by hand, often without protection, releasing toxic fumes and scrap.

About 2,000 containers — roughly 33,000 metric tons (36,376 U.S. tons) — of used electronics leave U.S. ports every month, according to the report. It said the companies behind the shipments, described as 'e-waste brokers,' typically don't recycle the waste themselves but send it to companies in developing countries.

Response to the report

The companies identified in the report include Attan Recycling, Corporate eWaste Solutions or CEWS, Creative Metals Group, EDM, First America Metal Corp., GEM Iron and Metal Inc., Greenland Resource, IQA Metals, PPM Recycling and Semsotai.

Six of the companies didn't immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.

Semsotai told The Associated Press that it doesn't export scrap, only working components for reuse. It accused BAN of bias.

PPM Recycling told The Associated Press it complies with all regulations and accurately handles shipments through certified partners. Greenland Resource told The Associated Press it took the allegations seriously and was reviewing the matter internally. Both said they couldn't comment further without seeing the report.

CEWS said it follows strict environmental standards, but some aspects of where and how recycled materials are handled are industrial secrets.

Value of more than $1 billion

The report estimated that between January 2023 and February 2025, the 10 companies exported more than 10,000 containers of potential e-waste valued at over $1 billion, the report said. Industrywide, such trade could top $200 million a month.

Eight of the 10 identified companies hold R2V3 certifications — an industry standard meant to ensure electronics are recycled safely and responsibly, raising questions about the value of such a certification, the report said.

Several companies operate out of California, despite the state's strict e-waste laws requiring full reporting and proper downstream handling of electronic and universal waste.

Courtesy: www.pbs.org