DENR vows swift action vs garbage shipment

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has vowed to take swift action in connection with 51,000 tons of garbage that arrived from South Korea.

The Environmental Management Bureau said the shipment, which was misdeclared as plastic synthetic flakes, contained plastic, used batteries, diapers and dextrose tubes among other hospital waste.

The shipment reportedly came from Jeju island.

DENR Undersecretary for solid waste management Benny Antiporda said “appropriate action” would be taken against the importer.

The shipment arrived on the MV Affluent Ocean last July and was consigned to Verde Soko Phil. Industrial Corp., which operates a waste recycling facility in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental.

The DENR said it did not issue an import permit to Verde Soko, adding that the company was not registered as an importer of recyclable materials.

Registered importers should secure the necessary clearances from the DENR at least 30 days before the actual importation.

John Simon, Mindanao International Container Terminal sub-port collector, said Verde Soko faces charges for violation of the Customs Modernization and Tariff and Ecological Solid Waste Management Acts.  

Simon said they are also investigating if the importer had connived with personnel of the Bureau of Customs even as he noted that the consignee has no derogatory record.

Dumping ground

“Everyone should be involved in stopping this practice because we are becoming the dumping ground of plastic,” he said.

Environmental groups expressed apprehension on the repeat of the Canadian garbage controversy.

“We find this latest incident of plastic waste dumping outrageous and unacceptable. Why do we keep on accepting garbage from other countries when we know that our country’s plastic waste, which is literally everywhere, is spilling to the oceans and endangering marine life,” Aileen Lucero, EcoWaste Coalition national coordinator, said.

“It’s high time for the Philippines to disallow garbage imports and demand that developed countries as well as manufacturers of plastics and other disposable goods take full responsibility for their products,” Lucero added.