Greenpeace says its activists boarded the Yang Ming Success and prevented the offloading of an illegal container of waste electronic devices from Port of Oakland in the United States, on its way to Sanshui district in mainland China, via Hong Kong.

In a statement, Greenpeace says its activists demanded that Hong Kong authorities refuse entry of the container and return it to the United States.

"As long as manufacturers fail to take responsibility for the entire lifecycle of their products, illegal shipments containing hazardous e-waste, like this one, will continue to find their way to the scrap yards of countries like China," stated Greenpeace China Campaign Director Lo Sze Ping. "In these yards, where rudimentary recycling takes place, human health and the environment are at risk from the cocktail of toxic chemicals released when end-of-life are broken up."

Greenpeace says the import of electronic waste is illegal in mainland China, however legislation in Hong Kong provides loopholes allowing e-waste to enter the country and make its way to scrap yards in mainland China such as in Guiyu in Guangdong.