EcoWaste to China: Probe entry of plastic trash to Philippines from Hong Kong

Plastic trash from Hong Kong at the Mindanao Container Terminal in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental. Photo from EcoWaste

MANILA, Philippines — The environment watch group EcoWaste Coalition has called on China to probe the entry of mixed plastic wastes from Hong Kong into the Philippines.

“We are shocked that the shipment originated from Hong Kong, which we find truly ironic since China has taken the unprecedented move to protect its own environment by banning waste imports, including electronic and plastic scraps and remnants,” Aileen Lucero, national coordinator of EcoWaste Coalition, said in a statement on Friday.

“We therefore request the Chinese government to seriously look into this matter,” she added.

Plastic trash from Hong Kong at the Mindanao Container Terminal in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental. Photo from EcoWaste

This came amid  the Philippines’ ongoing efforts to send back similar illegal waste shipments from Canada, South Korea, and Australia.

READ: Duterte orders ‘immediate’ return of Canada trash; Philippines to shoulder cost | Palace rejects Canada offer to ship back trash by end June

Lucero said they joined officials of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) Region 10 led by Port Collector John Simon Wednesday in inspecting a 40-foot container van containing 22 sling bags with 25,610 kilograms of mixed plastic wastes which were declared as “assorted electronic accessories.”

The shipment from Hong Kong, she added, arrived at the Mindanao Container Terminal in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental last January 2 on board SITC Fujian. It was shipped by Hin Yuen Tech. Env. Limited and was consigned to Crowd Win Industrial Limited as a “trial shipment” for some 70 containers.

Lucero said Simon told them that the BOC would initiate the re-export of the illegal shipment to Hong Kong soon.

The cargo was discovered after an alert order and a warrant of seizure and detention were issued on February 19 and March 7 by BOC Region 10 citing a violation of Section 1400 (misdeclaration) in relation to Section 117 (lack of permit) of Republic Act 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.

Lucero reiterated their call for an immediate ban on waste imports and for the country’s rapid ratification of the Basel Ban Amendment. She said the Basel Convention seeks to prohibit the export of hazardous wastes and other wastes from developed to developing countries. (Editor: Mike U. Frialde)