Greenpeace: PHL should ban entry of hazardous waste, recyclable or not

After the discovery of containers of trash shipped to the Philippines from South Korea, Canada and Australia in recent months, environment advocacy group Greenpeace said Thursday that the Philippines should ban the entry of all forms of hazardous waste, including those under the guise of recycling.

Greenpeace made the call after seven container vans of Australian waste was discovered in Misamis Oriental. The shipment was consigned to Holcim Philippines, Inc. which said that it will use such garbage as an alternative fuel for producing cement.

“The Australian trash in Misamis Oriental is unacceptable, reprehensible and deplorable. Why do we need to repeatedly remind the world that we are not a garbage dump? Illegal waste dumping to developing countries should be stopped at all costs. We refuse to be treated as rich countries’ trash dumps,” Abigail Aguilar, campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia - Philippines, said in a statement.

“Which is why Greenpeace has been consistently calling on the Philippine government to ratify the Basel Ban Amendment. Just weeks ago, the Basel Convention was amended to prohibit the importation of mixed, unrecyclable and contaminated plastic waste without prior informed consent of developing countries However, ratifying the Basel Ban Amendment will plug the loophole that allows the shipment of other forms of hazardous waste under the guise of recycling,” she added.

Aguilar said that such dumping should not be tolerated, and that Canada's government has yet to take back 103 container vans of garbage mislabeled as “recyclable plastic materials” that was shipped to Manila by Ontario,Canada-based firm Chronic, Inc.

President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to sever ties with Canada if the latter fails to take back its trash as soon as possible.

Likewise, Aguilar argued that the use of waste-to-energy is illegal in the Philippines under the Clean Air Act and the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

“Recyclable or not, trash is trash, and we as a country should be steadfast in refusing its entry to our shores. Holcim’s excuse that the imported waste will be used as an alternative fuel for its cement production should be further scrutinized,” Aguilar said.

“Waste-to-energy technologies harm our people and our environment, and further contribute to the destruction of our climate. These types of technology have no place in a country that struggles from the effects of the climate crisis.” Aguilar added. — Llanesca T. Panti/BM, GMA News