Customs looking for alternative landfill for Canada trash

MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Customs (BOC) is looking for alternate landfills where it will dump the illegally-shipped garbage from Canada.

Gerardo Macatangay, head of BOC’s Auction and Disposal Division at the Manila International Container Port (MICP), acknowledged the prospect of disposing the waste materials in other dumpsites.

“We have to find other venues because we need to dispose them. That is our Plan B,” he said.

At least 26 container vans of the garbage have been initially dumped in a private landfill in Capas town in Tarlac. The landfill is owned by Metro Clark Waste Management Corporation (MCWMC).

Meanwhile, 5 containers are still at the Manila International Container Port (MICP), while 16 remains at Subic port.

The containers full of household rubbish were seized at Manila’s port in mid-2013 on grounds that the waste was being passed off as plastic scrap material for recycling.

The shipments were also met with complaints as waste juice forming in the container vans of garbage pose health and environmental risks to people.

Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina requested that the Tarlac government allow the dumping in their landfill, but the provincial council passed a resolution demanding the cancellation of a waste disposal contract between BOC and MCWMC.

While the BOC has yet to find another landfill, Macatangay said they are not considering re-exporting the wastes back to Canada.

“No shipping lines and transshipment ports would accept it since its transport is prohibited,” Macatangay said.

He added that re-exporting the garbage would cost them half a billion pesos.

“Who would shoulder the costs? Do we have volunteers?” Macatangay asked.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) earlier told Rappler that a study proved the garbage is not toxic and hazardous.

They concluded the container vans instead carried “a mix of plastics and residual waste.” – Rappler.com