Picture courtesy of Reuters
Thailand’s Foreign Trade Department is cracking down on dirty deals—literally. Stricter import controls on waste paper are in the works to safeguard public health and protect the environment.
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Thailand’s Foreign Trade Department is cracking down on dirty deals—literally. Stricter import controls on waste paper are in the works to safeguard public health and protect the environment.
Ronnarong Phoolpipat, Foreign Trade Department Director-General, dropped the bombshell. The Commerce Ministry has been inundated with reports all year from concerned entrepreneurs. These tip-offs revealed that imported waste paper is ending up in factories, transformed into rolled paper and packaging—often with a nasty twist.
A ministry inspection, hot off the press, uncovered a dirty secret: waste paper shipments mixed with hazardous muck. We’re talking plastic bottles, foam, plastic bags, aerosol cans, sanitary napkins, masks, medical bags, and hoses. This rogue rubbish simply isn’t cutting the mustard, said Ronnarong.
“These contaminated imports flout…