The Basel Action Network‘s latest investigation uncovers a “hidden tsunami” of US e-waste flooding Southeast Asia, impacting local environments and workers, despite international bans and industry certifications meant to ensure responsible recycling.
For years, the promise of electronics recycling has offered a comforting narrative: discard your old gadgets responsibly, and they’ll be handled ethically. However, a damning new report from the Seattle-based Basel Action Network (BAN) reveals a darker truth. Millions of tons of discarded electronics from the United States are being shipped overseas, much of it to developing countries in Southeast Asia, which are woefully unprepared to safely handle hazardous waste.
BAN’s two-year investigation unmasked at least 10 US companies actively exporting used electronics to Asia and the Middle East, labeling this practice a “hidden tsunami” of electronic waste. This isn’t just a byproduct of a growing digital world; it’s a lucrative business model that pads the profit margins of the electronics recycling sector, while allowing a significant portion of American public and corporate IT equipment to be processed under harmful conditions in vulnerable regions.
The Relentless Tide of E-Waste
Electronic waste, or e-waste, encompasses discarded devices like phones and computers. These contain a complex mix of both valuable materials and highly toxic metals such as lead, cadmium, and mercury. As consumers replace gadgets faster than ever, global e-waste is escalating at an alarming rate, growing five times quicker than it’s formally recycled. The world generated a record 62 million metric tons in 2022, a figure projected to climb to 82 million by 2030, according to the United Nations’ International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and its research arm, UNITAR.
This surge of American e-waste intensifies the burden on Asia, a continent that already produces nearly half of the world’s total. Much of this waste is unceremoniously dumped in landfills, where it leaches toxic chemicals into the surrounding environment. An even more grim reality unfolds in informal scrapyards, where workers burn or dismantle devices by hand, often without any protection, releasing toxic fumes and scrap into the air they breathe.
The Business of ‘E-Waste Brokers’
The report details an alarming scale of operations: approximately 2,000 containers—roughly 33,000 metric tons (36,376 US tons)—of used electronics depart US ports every month. The companies orchestrating these shipments, described as “e-waste brokers,” typically do not recycle the waste themselves. Instead, they funnel it to companies in developing countries, maximizing their profits while outsourcing the environmental and social costs.
Between January 2023 and February 2025, the 10 companies identified in the report are estimated to have exported over 10,000 containers of potential e-waste, valued at over $1 billion. Industry-wide, this illicit trade could exceed $200 million per month.
The companies named in BAN’s report include:
- Attan Recycling
- Corporate eWaste Solutions (CEWS)
- Creative Metals Group
- EDM
- First America Metal Corp.
- GEM Iron and Metal Inc.
- Greenland Resource
- IQA Metals
- PPM Recycling
- Semsotai
While six of these companies did not respond to requests for comment, others provided varied statements. Semsotai claimed it only exports working components for reuse and accused BAN of bias. PPM Recycling stated it complies with all regulations, handles shipments through certified partners, ships only aluminum and non-iron metals to Malaysia, and accused BAN of exaggerating volumes. Greenland Resource expressed seriousness about the allegations and initiated an internal review. CEWS maintained it follows strict environmental standards but considered certain material handling aspects as industrial secrets.
Questionable Certifications and Regulatory Gaps
Perhaps one of the most troubling findings is that eight of the 10 identified companies hold R2V3 certifications. This industry standard is specifically designed to ensure electronics are recycled safely and responsibly, raising serious questions about the actual value and oversight of such certifications. Many of these companies even operate out of California, a state known for its strict e-waste laws requiring full reporting and proper downstream handling of electronic and universal waste.
Further complicating matters, many e-waste containers are directed to countries that have banned such imports under the Basel Convention. This international treaty bars hazardous waste trade from non-signatories, a group that notably includes the United States, the only industrialized nation yet to ratify it. BAN’s review of trade records revealed that shipments were often declared under misleading trade codes, such as “commodity materials” or other recyclable goods, to evade detection. Such classifications were deemed “highly unlikely” given the public descriptions of these companies’ operations.
The Human and Environmental Cost: ‘Waste Colonialism’
Tony R. Walker, an expert on global waste trade at Dalhousie University’s School for Resource and Environmental Studies, noted that the continued evasion of e-waste regulation is unsurprising. He highlighted that while some functional devices can be legally traded, most exports to developing nations are broken or obsolete, mislabeled, and destined for landfills that heavily pollute the environment with little market value.
Malaysia, a signatory to the Basel Convention, has been identified as a primary destination for US e-waste. Walker warned that the country is being “overwhelmed” by this volume, in addition to waste from other wealthy nations. The report estimates that US e-waste shipments may have constituted about 6% of all US exports to Malaysia from 2023 to 2025. After China banned foreign waste imports in 2017, many Chinese businesses shifted their operations to Southeast Asia, leveraging existing family and business ties to secure permits. Jim Puckett of BAN aptly stated, “Malaysia suddenly became this mecca of junk.”
Beyond Malaysia, containers were also sent to Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and the UAE, despite existing bans under the Basel Convention and national laws. The human toll is staggering: in these recipient countries, “undocumented workers desperate for jobs” toil in makeshift facilities, inhaling toxic fumes as they strip wires, melt plastics, and dismantle devices without adequate protection.
Si Peng Wong of Malaysia’s Center to Combat Corruption & Cronyism powerfully termed this practice “waste colonialism,” emphasizing how exporting e-waste from rich nations strains local facilities and overwhelms efforts to manage domestic waste.
Efforts to Stem the Tide and the Path Forward
Thankfully, authorities in Thailand and Malaysia have begun to step up efforts to curb illegal imports. In May, Thai authorities seized 238 tons of US e-waste at Bangkok’s port. A month later, Malaysian authorities confiscated e-waste worth $118 million in nationwide raids. Investigations revealed that most facilities in Malaysia were operating illegally and lacked fundamental environmental safeguards.
For us, the dedicated tech community, this report is a stark reminder of the urgent need for greater transparency and accountability in the electronics lifecycle. We must:
- Demand Stronger Regulations: Advocate for the US to ratify the Basel Convention to prevent the export of hazardous waste.
- Support Certified Recyclers: Carefully vet recycling facilities to ensure they genuinely adhere to high environmental and labor standards, going beyond mere certifications.
- Extend Device Lifespans: Embrace repairability and longer use cycles for our devices to reduce overall e-waste generation.
- Hold Corporations Accountable: Pressure tech companies to design products for durability, repair, and easier, more ethical recycling.
The “hidden tsunami” of e-waste is a global crisis fueled by profit and lax oversight. By understanding its true impact and demanding change, we, as a community, can help ensure that our passion for technology doesn’t come at the cost of human health and environmental devastation.
