Hanoi (VNA) – Thailand will tighten its ban on electronic waste andplastic garbage smuggled from abroad, Minister of Natural Resources andEnvironment Varawut Silpa-archa on December 25.

The ministry is serious in countering the importsof smuggled e-waste into Thailand, Varawut told the media. This is for the long term good forthe country, as e-waste will only lead to aggravation of the environment, he said.

The Ministry of Natural Resources andEnvironment hascoordinated with the Ministry of Commerce, which agreed to intensify and closeall possible gaps of the law to prevent e-waste from entering into Thailand, hesaid.

The ministryitself will adopt legalmeasures to intensify the ban on e-waste and plastic garbage, he added.

Varawut said he will try his utmostto find solutions at the beginning of next year to roll out efficientguidelines in dealing with domestic e-waste.

The ministry has set up drop-off sitesto take in e-wasteand old electric appliances from the public, he added.

A day before, the Thai Ministry of Public Health announced thatthe Southeast Asian country will ban the import,production and sale of beauty products containing plastic microbeads, effectivefrom January 1, 2020

Because of their tiny size, the spherical beads, used as exfoliants, are thenwashed down the drain, often slip through waste water treatment system and endup in the sea, the ministry said./.