A Carrum Downs recycling company has been fined nearly $20,000 over illegally exporting hazardous e-waste to Singapore.
A container, shipped by the company Weeebytes Pty Ltd, was intercepeted by Singapore authorities on 24 March last year.
The shipment included large quantities of crushed hard drives, printed circuit boards, solar inverters, lithium-ion batteries, electrical power sources and old transmitters.
The e-waste was hidden behind other goods and not properly declared by Weeebytes, according to the federal department of climate change, energy, the environment and water (DCCEEW).
Weeebytes was aware of export requirements for hazardous waste but did not obtain an export permit, the department stated.
DCCEEW required Weeebytes to return the container to Australia, lawfully dispose of the e-waste at its own expense and to pay a $19,800 fine for exporting hazardous waste without a permit.
A DDCCEEW spokesperson said the Australian Government was strengthening its monitoring and detection capabilities to disrupt the illegal export of hazardous e-waste.
This included more port inspections, inspecting license holders and working with partners such as Australian Border Force, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and state environment protection agencies.
“Many electrical products contain hazardous substances including heavy metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium, and flame retardants, many of which are persistent organic pollutants.
“If disposed of improperly, these substances can enter drinking water and soil, leading to serious human health concerns.”
