The Philippines sent a shipping container full of mixed plastic junk back to Hong Kong today after it was delivered to Manila from the special administrative region in February under the guise of “assorted electronic accessories.”
The 25 tons of trash were just the latest such shipment to be returned to its point of origin, Philippines outlet, with Manila also shipping some 69 containers of trash back to Canada just last week.
According to environmental watchdog EcoWaste Coalition, SITC Nagoya, the ship carrying the 25,610 kilograms of plastic scraps and shredded gadgets and computers from Hong Kong, has left the Mindanao Container Terminal in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental.
The return of trash to Hong Kong happened barely a week after the country finally sent 69 containers of dumped garbage to Canada.
GOOD RIDDANCE. Environment groups and port officials bid adieu to the container carrying electronic waste from Hong Kong on Monday, June 3. Photo from EcoWaste Coalition
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Lucero said that the shipment was intended as a “trial” run, with another 70 such containers slated for shipment from Hong Kong before the first was intercepted, reported CNN Philippines.
Though the container was declared as carrying “electronic accessories,” in reality it was filled with crushed, worthless e-waste.
The shipment was one of a string of other trashy deliveries made to the Philippines in recent months. In addition to the huge shipment from Canada, others have come in from Australia and South Korea.
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Intercepting mislabeled shipments of garbage has become a priority recently for Philippines authorities.
According to ABS-CBN, in a statement following the interdiction of the Hong Kong shipment, presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said: “The Palace reiterates the firm position of the Republic of the Philippines that it will not allow its territory to be treated as a dumping ground for trash by any foreign country or entity.”
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The shipment arrived at the Mindanao Container Terminal on January 2 but it was only discovered on May 22.
Ban on waste imports
EcoWaste and Greenpeace Philippines renewed their call for the implementation of a comprehensive ban on waste imports and the rapid ratification of the Basel Ban Amendment.
Groups signify their opposition to foreign waste dumping during the send-off ceremonies for the seized mixed plastic waste shipment from Hong Kong. EcoWaste Coalition/Released
“However, we also need to plug internal holes in the system—whether faulty regulations, inadequate monitoring, or corruption. Otherwise, we will continue to be at the receiving end of waste shipments—and worse, unable to hold responsible countries and parties accountable,” Lea Guerrero, Greenpeace Philippines country director, said.
Rep. Juliette Uy (Misamis Oriental) filed a bill calling for a total ban on the import and export of garbage Monday morning.
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The country is “awash with millions of tons of solid wastes, liquefied wastes, and toxic wastes. Our rivers, lakes, seashores, and seas are massively polluted by these wastes. Our cities, factories, and homes produce garbage like there's no tomorrow,” she said in the explanatory note of House Bill 9207.
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