Antwerp (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Around 30% of waste shipments at Antwerp-Zeebrugge are illegal, mainly electronic waste. Ann Heylens says private individuals are hard to trace. Around 900 inspections occur yearly, and violators face penalties.
As VRT News reported, around 30% of the waste shipments inspected at the merged port of Antwerp-Zeebrugge are found to be illegal. Most of these shipments involve electronic waste. According to Ann Heylens, spokesperson for the Department of Environment, electronic waste forms the largest share of the intercepted cargo.
Inspectors often discover refrigerators with banned refrigerants or television screens with cut cables. Many of the goods are linked to traders, often of African descent, who buy used appliances in Belgium to send to African countries. Although these items are declared as second-hand, most are in poor condition and are officially considered waste rather than reusable products.
What makes 30% of waste shipments at Antwerp-Zeebrugge illegal?
Heylens describes that sending waste to non-OECD countries, including nearly all African countries, is explicitly prohibited under international law. This regulation is part of the European waste regulations and the Basel Convention, both of which prevent hazardous materials from illegally flowing into countries without recycling programs.
Port inspectors utilise X-ray scanners for inspection, as well as cargo inspections and document checks to track illegal shipments. If violations are identified, the containers will be seized, and the exporters may face significant fines. Environmental experts caution that the shipment of e-waste puts communities abroad at risk of exposure to hazardous types of waste, such as mercury, lead, and old refrigerant gases.
“The private individuals are often abroad again and are difficult to trace, so a report or return is not a solution.”
Ann Helens, spokesperson for the Department of Environment
Ann Heylens said that these cases need a different approach than business-related waste. She explained that many of the people involved are already abroad and difficult to trace, so sending reports or returning the waste is not effective. She mentioned that in such cases, the focus is on ensuring the waste is treated and processed safely in Belgium.
The merged port of Antwerp-Zeebrugge is one of the main exit points for waste leaving the European Union. According to the Department of Environment, about 70% of the inspected waste originates from abroad, mainly from Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and France, and in some cases from Canada. Antwerp serves as a major transit hub where containers are transferred to other ships before being sent overseas.
Around 900 inspections are carried out each year, most of them in the Port of Antwerp. When illegal shipments are discovered, they are blocked on the spot. If the waste comes from Belgian companies, a report is filed, and the material is either processed or returned. For shipments from foreign companies, the country of origin is contacted so the waste can be sent back.
The Basel Convention, which was adopted and entered into force in 1989 and 1992, respectively, created rules for the safe transportation of hazardous waste across borders. In 1995, the Ban Amendment was adopted to prevent developed nations from sending hazardous waste to countries in the developing world, and the Ban Amendment entered into force in December 2019.
The European Union implemented stricter regulations concerning electronic waste in 2012. As of January 2025, new regulations from the European Union will be in effect and will tighten regulations around hazardous and non-hazardous e-waste both inside and for exportation from the EU to non-OECD nations. In May 2025, the European Union created the special Waste Shipment Enforcement Group out of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), which will optimise inspections and cooperation across borders.
