Plants ‘exploit lax EEC rules’

A leading Thai activist said yesterday that a special Section 44 order which exempts factories related to waste management in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) from environmental impact assessments and other city planning regulations has contributed to the rise of illegal electronic waste plants in the region.

Supaporn Malailoy, manager of the ENLAWTHAI Foundation (EnLAW), said her agency will collect information on the increasing number of waste-related plants in the country. An initial study has found that many of the new plants are in the EEC, which has been designated as a zone to promote green technology for the nation’s next industrial upgrade, dubbed “Thailand 4.0”. The zone covers the three provinces of Chachoengsao, Chon Buri and Rayong.

“We’ve learned that the increasing number of electronic waste-related plants is linked to the National Council for Peace and Order’s special order No.4/2016, which waives city planning regulations for certain kinds of activity, including waste management,” she said.

According to the order, some exemptions were made in a bid to clear some legal obstacles and deal with urgent problems that posed a threat to the country’s energy security and environment problems, especially in relation to waste overloads.

It covers activities related to power plants, natural gases, wastewater treatment and rubbish plants, recycling factories and waste segregation plants.