Indonesia to Return 73 Containers of Illegal E-Waste to the US

October 6, 2025 | 03:31 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry/Environmental Management Agency (KLH/BPLH) has thwarted the entry of 73 illegal containers of electronic waste (e-waste) from the United States. All hazardous and toxic waste (B3) will soon be re-exported to its country of origin.

"The government will not allow Indonesia to be a dumping ground and processing site for illegal waste from abroad. Any party found to have imported illegal e-waste will be legally processed and subject to criminal sanctions in accordance with the prevailing legislation," said Minister of Environment and Forestry/Head of BPLH Hanif Faisol Nurofiq in a written statement on Monday, October 6, 2025.

The enforcement action stemmed from the findings of the Deputy for Law Enforcement of Environmental Management, in collaboration with the Directorate General of Customs and Excise, which detected indications of e-waste entering through the Batu Ampar Port in Batam, from September 22 to 27, 2025.

In response to the findings, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry promptly sent a letter to the Director General of Customs and Excise to prevent the goods from leaving and to oversee a number of electronic import companies.

A physical inspection by the Batam Customs and Excise Control Unit, along with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, revealed that the 73 containers were owned by PT Logam Internasional Jaya, PT Esun Internasional Utama Indonesia, and PT Batam Battery Recycle Industry, and contained B3 waste in categories B107d (electronic waste) and A108d (contaminated hazardous waste), such as printer Circuit Boards (PCBs), rubber wires, CPUs, hard disks, and other used electronic components. All containers are now being processed for re-export to the United States.

The entry of illegal e-waste is a violation of Article 106 of Law No. 32 of 2009 concerning Environmental Protection and Management, which stipulates that anyone importing B3 waste into Indonesian territory may face imprisonment for 5 to 15 years and a fine of Rp5 billion to Rp15 billion.

The Deputy for Law Enforcement of Environmental Management, Rizal Irawan, affirmed the government's commitment to bring this case to the legal domain. "This finding is evidence that the modus operandi of B3 waste importation is still occurring. We will coordinate with law enforcement officials to bring this case to the criminal domain. In addition to administrative sanctions, the involved companies will face criminal penalties and fines as stipulated in the Environmental Protection Law," said Rizal Irawan.

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