Philippines to protest export waste from Canada

MANILA, July 31 (Reuters) - The Philippines will file a
third diplomatic protest with Canada for exporting tonnes of
solid waste two years ago, the foreign ministry said on Friday,
asking Ottawa to take back the shipment of household and street
garbage.
Customs officials discovered that 48 containers, designated
as carrying plastic scrap, contained solid waste when they were
opened in May.
The shipment was left unclaimed after arriving at the Manila
International Container Port in 2013.
"The protest was to underscore the government's objection
and to reiterate our request to the Canadian government to take
appropriate action," Charles Jose, a foreign ministry spokesman,
told local broadcaster ANC.
"We wanted Canada to take back the shipment or help us with
the garbage problem. Canada has informed the Philippines it has
no domestic law to compel local exporters to take the shipment
back."
This is the third diplomatic protest after Canada's embassy
in Manila did not take action on two earlier note verbale,
saying the shipment was a commercial transaction and was not
backed by its government.
Neil Reeder, Canada's ambassador to Manila, has said the two
states are working together to resolve the garbage issue and
denied the shipment contained toxic materials.
"It was not our choice to bring that waste here," Reeder has
said. "We have found a solution which is local processing of
that waste."
Several containers were dumped at a landfill north of the
capital Manila weeks ago, resulting in protests by the local
community.
In 1999, Japan sent 124 containers of hospital waste to
Philippines but took them back after Manila invoked the Basel
Convention, an international treaty to reduce the movement of
hazardous waste. The Japanese company which shipped the waste
was fined and officials imprisoned by Japanese authorities.