January 12, 2026
BANGKOK – Thailand needs a new law to help it handle around 400,000 tonnes of electronic waste a year—including used mobile phones—by recycling the waste for valuable materials, the Pollution Control Department (PCD) said.
Draft WEEE law aims to make producers share responsibility
The PCD said Thailand is accelerating efforts to push forward a draft Electrical and Electronic Equipment Waste Management Act (WEEE) based on the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) principle, which would require producers to share responsibility for taking back end-of-life products for recycling.
2023 total topped 400,000 tonnes, PCD says
In a recent report, the department said Thailand generated more than 400,000 tonnes of electronic waste in 2023, including used and discarded smartphones and tablet computers.
Lack of collection system leaves waste at home or in informal channels
Data from the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) suggests Thailand still lacks a systematic collection system, meaning much of the waste is stored at home or sold to informal collectors, who may dismantle devices improperly, leaving toxic residues.
Recycled phones can recover valuable metals
The department noted that recycling e-waste can yield valuable materials. It cited figures stating that recycling one million mobile phones can recover more than 15 kilograms of gold, 350 kilograms of silver, and over 15,000 kilograms of copper, while also cutting greenhouse-gas emissions compared with mining new materials.
Global reports and Australia example cited to support the push
The PCD said it hopes the new law will provide a stronger legal tool to expand e-waste recycling. It also cited a report titled “Nature Positive: Role of the Technology Sector”, published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in collaboration with Oliver Wyman in December 2025, which noted that used smartphones can be recycled for dozens of rare earth metals.
The department also pointed to Australia’s MobileMuster programme as an example, saying it managed 109 tonnes of old mobile phones in 2024 and recovered materials worth up to US$2.5 million (about 85–90 million baht), showing that systematic e-waste management can be both an environmental measure and a sustainable business model.