Authorities in Southeast Asia have seized over 120 containers of illegal e-waste, triggering concern across industries reliant on cross-border shipments of used electronics.
Operation Can Opener, a campaign led by the Basel Action Network (BAN) in collaboration with Asian environmental groups, provided intelligence that led to recent seizures in Malaysia and Thailand. Between January and mid-May, Malaysia’s Department of Environment inspected 179 containers, detaining 122 (68%) for violations of hazardous waste import laws.
While the contents were not publicly itemised, the crackdown has sparked renewed concern among European remanufacturers, who often import used printer cartridges for reuse. Cartridges containing chips are classified as Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) under EU law and subject to strict shipping and declaration rules under the Basel Convention.
Companies found guilty face penalties of up to MYR10 million ($2.3 million/ €2.1 million) or five years in prison. Malaysian officials have issued 119 notices demanding the repatriation of contraband containers.
Operation Can Opener signals a shift toward coordinated, international enforcement of e-waste law — and heightened risk for non-compliance.
Editors Opinion: This crackdown on illegal e-waste reinforces the importance of legal clarity and compliance in the printer cartridge remanufacturing industry. If your cartridges contain chips, they fall under WEEE. Misclassifying them during export or import risks serious legal consequences — even if your intention is reuse.
