Destination… Thailand

Moving closer to EPR for e-waste?

The Department of Industrial Works (DIW) in Thailand has proposed an Industrial Waste Management Act that would also tackle e-waste.

On 3 March 2025, the DIW under the Ministry of Industry released the Draft Act for stakeholder feedback by 3 April 2025.

The Draft Act aims to tackle the growing problem of the accumulation of waste generated by industrial operations, and e-waste including waste batteries and end-of-life vehicles (ELVs).

For these types of waste, it proposes to achieve this by notably:

• prohibiting their incorrect disposal
• requiring private collectors, transporters and disposal operators to obtain a licence from the DIW, and
• allowing local authorities’ hazardous waste collection and sorting activities to continue without a DIW licence but requiring them to notify the DIW and pass the waste to licenced transporters or disposal operators

What about EPR?

As regards waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), the Draft Industrial Waste Management Act does not mention any responsibility of the EEE manufacturer.

However, by enabling the control of e-waste flows it would complement an EPR Act – and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has held consultations on EPR Acts on packaging and WEEE.

For ELVs, the Draft introduces the principle of EPR directly: vehicle manufacturers are held responsible for an ELV until it is completely disposed of, without imposing any specific obligations.

For the full analysis, including key principles and definitions, check out Landbell Group’s Global EPR Information Services.