Philippine environmentalists demand Canada takes back 200m kg of household waste

[SBUS-CXK]

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau committed to finding a resolution in 2017 CREDIT: ADRIAN WYLD/THE CANADIAN PRESS

• Nicola Smith

31 JANUARY 2019 • 10:56AM


Acoalition of Philippine environmentalists have demanded that Canada take its trash back six years after more than 200 million kg of household waste was dumped in the Southeast Asian nation.

The EcoWaste Coalition, a collection of more than 1000 community and environment groups, has written to Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, urging him to respect a promise made late last year to deal with the problem, reported the Toronto Star.

Between 2013 and 2014, a total of 103 shipping containers, supposedly carrying plastics for recycling, arrived from Canada to Philippine ports.

However, customs officials discovered that the containers were actually filled with mixed waste from household bins, including piles of adult diapers, soiled papers and electronic equipment, and the rubbish has been held in limbo ever since.

The contentious issue was raised with Mr Trudeau during his visit to the Philippine capital Manila in November 2017.

“I know it has been a long-standing irritant and I committed to him [Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte], and I’m happy to commit to all of you now that Canada is very much engaged in finding a solution on that,” he told a press conference.

“One of the early barriers was the Canadian legal regulations, which prevented us from receiving the waste back in Canada, even though it originally came from us,” he said, according to the Manila Bulletin.


“Those regulations and impediments have now been addressed but there are still a number of questions like who will pay for, what are the consequences,” he added.

The prime minister stressed that the shipment had been a private transaction that did not involve the Canadian government.

However, the Philippine environmental lobby has become frustrated with the lack of progress in disposing of the trash.

“The scandal has dragged on for five years without resolution, despite promises from the Canadian government to address the problem, including public statements made by yourself as prime minister,” wrote Aileen Lucero, co-ordinator for the EcoWaste Coalition, in her letter to Mr Trudeau.

The coalition claimed that the “stark contrast” between Canada’s foot-dragging and South Korea’s recent deal to take 50 containers of its own rubbish back was “stoking anger.”

South Korean waste, which was wrongly labelled “plastic synthetic flakes” despite containing styrofoams, textiles, electronic waste, spray cans and other toiletry products, set sail earlier this month to return home from the southern Philippine island of Mindanao.

“By saying ‘no’ to garbage dumping from Korea and other countries, we say ‘no’ to the derogation of our country’s dignity and sovereignty, ‘no’ to the disrespect for national and international laws, and ‘no’ to the harm they will bring to our communities,” Ms Lucero told a crowd assembled at the port.


“As a civil society group dedicated to promoting a zero waste and toxics-free Philippines, we promise to remain vigilant to ensure that our country does not become a dumpsite for any country’s garbage,” she said.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/20...talists-demand-canada-takes-back-200-million/

 

[SBUS-CXK]

@oprih @BringHarmony Ah, Canada... In addition to distorting facts and spreading lies, defending drug traffickers and spies... They are also good at making rubbish

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Activists urge Justin Trudeau to take Canada’s trash out of Philippines

Filipino environmentalists hold a demonstration in front of the Senate building in protest of garbage imported from Canada.

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More than 100 community and environment groups in the Philippines are pleading with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to take out Canada’s trash.

Under the banner EcoWaste Coalition, the groups wrote a letter to Trudeau on Wednesday asking him to make good on a promise he made when he visited Manila in November 2017 to finally address more than two million kilograms of Canadian household and electronic waste rotting in two Filipino ports for nearly six years.

READ MORE: Justin Trudeau discusses human rights in meeting with Philippine President Duterte

In 2013 and 2014, a total of 103 shipping containers from Canada labelled as plastics arrived in the Philippines for recycling, but Filipino customs inspectors determined the containers were actually filled with debris from Canadian trash bins.

Filipino inspectors uncovered mounds of adult diapers, soiled papers, electronic equipment and assorted household waste in the bins, none of which could be recycled.

The garbage has sat in limbo ever since.

More than 100 community and environment groups in the Philippines are making a plea to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to take out Canada’s trash.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Aaron Favila

“The scandal has dragged on for five years without resolution, despite promises from the Canadian government to address the problem, including public statements made by yourself as prime minister,” wrote Aileen Lucero, coordinator for the EcoWaste Coalition.

She noted that South Korea took back more than 50 containers of garbage after they were mistakenly shipped to the Philippines last year and Canada’s refusal to do the same has not gone unnoticed.

“The stark contrast between South Korea’s actions and Canada’s indifference to its dumped waste has captured public attention and stoked anger at what is viewed as both disrespectful and illegal conduct by Canada,” she said in the letter.

When Filipino officials first approached the federal government about the garbage in March 2014, Canada’s response was to try to get the Philippines to agree to dispose of it there.

WATCH: Canadians throwing away more garbage than ever, according to Statistics Canada

In November 2015, Trudeau visited Manila for the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation leaders’ summit just weeks after he became prime minister. He said he was aware of the problem, but that Canada had no legal authority to force the company who shipped the containers to take them back.

In June 2016, a Filipino judge ordered the bins sent back to Canada and said his country was not the world’s “trash bin.”

Trudeau returned to Manila in November 2017 for a summit of Southeast Asian countries, and said then he felt Canada was working very hard on a solution and that it was “theoretically” possible for Canada to take back the trash.

A year after that, a working group of Filipino and Canadian officials met for the first time in Manila but nothing has yet come of that meeting.

Guillaume Berube, a spokesman for Global Affairs Canada, said Canada is aware of the 2016 court decision and all the issues are being examined by the working group.

READ MORE: Environment ministers set goal of cutting Canadian waste in half by 2040

“We are committed to working collaboratively to ensure the material is processed in an environmentally responsible way,” he said.

Canada is a signatory to the Basel Convention, which requires developed countries to only ship hazardous waste to the developing world with the consent of the importing country. Lucero said Canada likes to say it fully complies with the convention, but these shipments contravene the international agreement.

Lucero also says Canada is one of two dozen countries that have refused to endorse an amendment to the convention that would bar shipments of hazardous waste altogether.

https://globalnews.ca/news/4906939/canada-trash-philippines-justin-trudeau/

 

[Jlaw]

Time for Canada to take back the white trash

 

[SBUS-CXK]

Time for Canada to take back the white trash

Yes, they should recycle all Canadian Specialties - garbage, spies, drug dealers... and @BringHarmony
We all know that Canadians like to lie. such as @BringHarmony It once said that China should solve the toilet problem first. Then export weapons.

OMG! What logic is this? Because China doesn't have toilets, so China can't export weapons?？？ Sorry, can you understand the Canadian logic?

And this Canadian is very interesting. It likes to lie. But obviously... It has IQ and logic flaws. It doesn't even know the real world.

 

[oprih]

Well trudeau's mouth is a trash can that spews garbage regularly, he should take all those trash back and eat it.