Interpol to fight illegal e-waste exports

Archiv – Global | International police force Interpol is set to form a division to tackle the burgeoning illegal trade in electronic waste. The new Interpol Global Crime Group will be headed by the UK’s Environment Agency and supported by the US Environmental Protection Agency as well as the Dutch environment agency VROM.Global | International police force Interpol is set to form a division to tackle the burgeoning illegal trade in electronic waste. The new Interpol Global Crime Group will be headed by the UK’s Environment Agency and supported by the US Environmental Protection Agency as well as the Dutch environment agency VROM.
The group says it will adopt an ’intelligence-led approach’ to tackling the exportation of hazardous e-waste in breach of international laws and will endeavour to uncover the links between organised crime and illegal waste exporters. In particular, it will seek to tackle the growing phenomenon of ’waste tourists’ – people who visit countries as tourists and use their short stay to purchase electronic waste and arrange its shipment to developing nations.
The new group aims to encourage improved co-operation between different countries’ environment agencies to help track down suspects, and also to work with governments in the developing world to tackle the transfer of waste across borders.
A spokeswoman for the Environment Agency told The Daily Telegraph newspaper in the UK that there is evidence of an upturn in illegal waste shipments. ’We know there has been an increase in the scale of commodity waste being shipped and while much of that is legitimate, it also means there is increased scope for illegal activity,’ she said. ’Our intelligence has revealed that there is more organised criminal activity in this area and has uncovered some of the techniques they are using to export waste illegally, such as waste tourists, mislabelling containers, or mixing in e-waste with other types of recyclable material.’
This year, the Environment Agency has arrested 12 people in connection with the illegal export of waste compared to just one last year. There has also been an increase in the number of checks on waste operators and ports: the most high profile saw three men arrested in connection with the shipment of thousands of tonnes of toxic waste – including nappies, dirty toys and hospital waste – to Brazil.