Analysis of the Draft Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Management Bill, B.E. …..

Abstract

          The objectives of this research, “Analysis of the Draft Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Management Bill, B.E. .…”, are: 1) To study the development, problems, and obstacles of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) management in Thailand; 2) To conduct a comparative study of the legal principles for the waste electrical and electronic equipment management in other countries and those of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Management Bill, B.E. .…; 3) To provide recommendations on the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Management Bill, B.E. .… This is qualitative research which employs a combination of documentary research, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussion research methods. The research found that Thailand, unlike countries such as the European Union, Germany, or Japan, has no specific legislation on waste electrical and electronic equipment management and has to adopt and modify existing laws to serve this purpose. However, such laws do not cover the whole life cycle of WEEE and are not adequately effective in dealing with current situations. For this reason, the Pollution Control Department had prepared the present Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Management Bill, B.E .… which is based on the internationally accepted principle of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Nevertheless, the research team deems that certain aspects of this Bill should be revised, namely, its scope, definitions, regulatory mechanism, and penalties. It has also proposed guidelines for determination of the types and categories of WEEE, revision of the definitions of producers, importers, and distributors, inclusion of the WEEE Management Committee and the Environment Fund structures, addition of the provisions on the goals of WEEE collection, registration of relevant parties, establishment of WEEE Return Centers that cater to independent operators. Moreover, additional studies on the potential for WEEE management of local administrative organizations and WEEE processing plants should be carried out. Environmental-friendly product designs, awareness of proper technical management of WEEE in all sectors should also be promoted for the improvement of public health and the environment in Thailand.