By Reuters
Hundreds of Filipino environmentalists took to the streets in Manila Wednesday to demand the return of some 50 containers of rotting garbage dumped in the country by Canada.
The 50 containers, supposed to contain recycled plastics, were shipped to the Philippines by the Chronic Inc., a plastics exporter based in Whitby of Ontario in 2013.
However, they have been found to contain household garbage, including adult diapers and kitchen waste, during an inspection conducted by the customs department of the Philippines.
For more than two years, environmentalists have been lobbying for the return of the garbage to Canada. But the Canadian government has stood firm to its stand of not shipping the trash back to Canada, saying it is a commercial matter and has to be settled privately.
The Filipino government, however, also said that the trash is not toxic or hazardous and wanted to dump the Canadian waste into the local landfills.
“If we pursue this option of shipping back the waste, Canada would not accept it. Our remedy will be to file a case in the international court. Can you imagine how long it will take to resolve the issue? When litigations are ongoing, at the end of the day, the waste is still there, rotting,” said Jonas Leones, assistant director lawyer of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB).
But environmentalists refused to buy the solution offered by the Filipino government.
“This is garbage. We can never accept it as a country. We are not a garbage dumping place. Canada should recognize that. Our government agencies should stand up for the Filipino people and demand these waste be re-shipped back to the source country,” said environmentalist Angelica Carballo.
The government expects court clearance for its plan to dispose of the trash locally soon, but officials assured that those responsible will be subject to punishment.
