Don’t make us your dumping ground, ASEAN tells world community

BANGKOK, Aug 3, 2019, FMT. Asean has reiterated its readiness to work with the international community to stop illegal trans-boundary movement of hazardous chemicals and wastes which is turning the region into a global dumping ground, reported the Free Malaysia Today.

In a joint statement, Asean foreign ministers expressed their concern over the growing threat and adverse effects to human health and the environment posed by increased illegal trans-boundary movement of hazardous wastes to the region.

“We reject illegal trans-boundary movement of wastes to our region, and emphasise that all states take necessary measures to ensure environmentally sound management of hazardous and chemical wastes in their respective jurisdictions.

“It is also to ensure the protection of human health and the environment, and enhance cooperation with other jurisdictions, including through the exchange of relevant information and capacity building,” it said.

The statement was released in conjunction with the 52nd Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and Post-Ministerial Conferences and Related Meetings (52nd AMM/PMC) here.

It follows reports that Asean member countries have been receiving a huge number of containers carrying wastes, some toxic, in recent months.

Several Asean countries including Malaysia, the Philippines, Cambodia and Indonesia have become dumping grounds for rich countries.

In May, Malaysia announced that it will send back as much as 3,000 tonnes of plastic wastes to the countries of origin.

In June, the Philippine government said it would hire a private shipping company to send 69 containers of garbage back to Canada and leave them within its territorial waters if it refuses to accept them. Cambodia also said it would return 1,600 tonnes of illegal plastic wastes found in shipping containers.

In late July, Indonesia returned seven containers of illegally imported wastes to France and Hong Kong from its Batam island port.