CANADA TAKES BACK GARBAGE
Rubbish returned from the Philippines will be incinerated at waste-to-energy facility, say officials
TONNES of Canadian garbage left in the Philippines for years arrived back home on Saturday, putting an end to a festering diplomatic row that highlighted how Asian nations have grown tired of being the world’s trash dump.
A cargo vessel loaded with about 69 containers of rubbish docked in a port on the outskirts of Vancouver. The trash will be incinerated at a waste-to-energy facility, local officials said.
The conflict dated back to 2013 and 2014, when a Canadian company shipped containers mislabelled as recyclable plastics to the Philippines.
The shipment actually contained a mixture of paper, plastics, electronics, and household waste, including kitchen trash and diapers, although Philippine law prohibited imports of mixed plastics and household trash.
Some of the waste was unloaded in the Philippines, but much of it stewed in local ports for years.
The issue polluted bilateral relations for years, but tensions
came to a head in April when Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to “declare war” against Canada unless it reclaimed the garbage.
Canada missed a May 15 deadline to repatriate the rubbish, but then made arrangements soon thereafter to move it back to Canadian soil.
Canada’s Environment Minister Catherine McKenna said on Thursday: “We are committed with the Philippines and we’re working closely with them.”
For years, China had received the bulk of scrap plastic from around the world, but closed its doors to foreign refuse last year in an effort to clean up its environment. Huge quantities of plastic waste have since been redirected to Southeast Asia.
In November 2016, Canada amended its regulations on waste disposal to prevent incidents like the one with the Philippines.
Canadian exporters now need a permit to export hazardous waste and can only obtain it if the other country consents to the import, Jenn Gearey, a spokeswoman for the Canadian environment ministry, said via email.
In May, Malaysian officials criticised Canada after a shipping container filled with contaminated plastic bags from major Canadian grocery chains was shipped to Kuala Lumpur by a private company.
Canada produces more waste per capita than other countries with comparable levels of economic development.