A Hong Kong court fined four companies after authorities seized e-scrap imported from the U.S. and raided three electronics recycling sites.
On Aug. 21, Intech Environmental Recycling was fined 20,000 Hong Kong dollars (about $2,500 U.S.) for the illegal import of printed circuit boards (PCBs) from the U.S.
According to an Environmental Protection Department (EPD) press release, the shipment was intercepted at the Kwai Chung Container Terminals in April and immediately returned to the U.S.
A separate EPD press release indicates a court on Aug. 7 convicted and fined the company Mei Wah Environmental about $16,500 for illegal e-scrap handling. The company was also fined about $5,200 in May for similar violations. The company’s site was storing about 6,700 LCD monitors and five bags of PCBs weighing about 1.2 metric tons.
Finally, in late July operators of two other raided sites were penalized.
According to a press release, Sam Tung International Trading Company and Zhonglianxing Limited were, together, fined about $6,500. The two sites operated by the companies were illegally storing a total of about 12 metric tons of PCBs, according to the EPD.
Hong Kong is a semi-independent region of China.
Photo courtesy of Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
