A recycling plant in the Kabin Buri district of Prachin Buri province has been ordered to close by the provincial administration after it was discovered that 80 tonnes of electronic waste were recently delivered to the premises.
On Saturday, Chanatip Kokmanee, the deputy governor of Prachin Buri, said that he and officials inspected the JKC Recycle Company facility in the Bo Thong sub-district, after the Prachin Buri Khemkheng Network, a non-governmental vigilance group, monitored two container trucks entering the plant.
The group suspected that the containers might be carrying industrial waste for recycling. It then surveilled the facility throughout the night until officials arrived for an inspection.
Both containers contained electronic waste, and a number of migrant workers were found separating the waste. Polluted water was found in a treatment pond.
One truck driver claimed that he was hired to take unspecified cargo from Laem Chabang deep-sea port in Chon Buri to a recycling facility in Prachin Buri. He added that when he entered the factory, the gate was closed and he could not leave.
Chanatip said that JKC Recycle was granted a category 105 licence to recycle non-hazardous materials, but it was discovered that the materials were industrial waste and hazardous.
He then ordered the provincial industrial works office to take action against the company. The two container trucks were impounded.
Sunthorn Khomkhai, leader of the Prachin Buri Khemkheng Network, questioned why the plant was allowed to operate despite the fact that it had already been closed down twice. He also called on the Industrial Works Department to stop issuing Category 105 and Category 106 licenses for smelting plants, claiming that more than 200 licenses had already been issued, exceeding the regulators' capacity to oversee them.
