CNN :
Malaysia has discovered 110 containers of illegally dumped toxic waste in what authorities are calling “the biggest finding of its kind” in the country’s history, according to state media Bernama.
The containers were dumped last month at the Port of Tanjung Pelepas, in Johor state, Bernama reported on Sunday. Inside was 1,864 tonnes of electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) — a hazardous by-product of steel production, containing toxic elements such as lead and chromium.
They were brought into the country from Romania and falsely declared as concentrated zinc, officials said.
“The discovery of the EAFD, on transit in Malaysia and bound for Indonesia, is the biggest finding of its kind in Malaysian history,” said Environment and Water Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man in the Bernama report.
Malaysia is sending the waste back to Romania and asking Interpol to investigate.
Since China banned plastic waste imports in 2018 in an attempt to clean up its environment many countries have looked for alternative dumping grounds for their trash, creating problems for countries including Cambodia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
To limit irresponsible dumping, last year 187 countries added plastic to the Basel Convention, a treaty that regulates the movement of hazardous materials from one country to another. But the problem has continued regardless.
EAFD, the illegal shipment found in Malaysia, is classified as toxic waste under the Basel Convention, of which Malaysia is a signatory. Only the US, one of the world’s biggest plastic producers, and Haiti have not ratified the agreement.
The waste dumping crisis has garnered greater global attention in recent years, as countries like Malaysia and the Philippines have begun naming and shaming waste exporters and sending dumped trash back to their ports of origin.
Last May, Malaysia sent back 450 tonnes of plastic waste to their countries of origin, including the the United Kingdom, Canada, the US, Japan, and the Netherlands.
“We urge the developed countries to review their management of plastic waste and stop shipping garbage to developing countries,” said Yeo Bee Yin, Malaysia’s then-minister of energy, science, technology, environment and climate change.
But the problem has persisted; Malaysian authorities have already identified and halted at least 28 attempts to illegally import waste this year, Tuan Man said according to Bernama.
Waste dumping has even escalated into highly publicized diplomatic clashes; last year, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte recalled his ambassador to Ottawa after Canada missed a deadline to take back tonnes of its garbage. The Canadian government finally repatriated their trash after Duterte said he was prepared to “declare war” over the issue.
Malaysia has discovered 110 containers of illegally dumped toxic waste in what authorities are calling “the biggest finding of its kind” in the country’s history, according to state media Bernama.
The containers were dumped last month at the Port of Tanjung Pelepas, in Johor state, Bernama reported on Sunday. Inside was 1,864 tonnes of electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) — a hazardous by-product of steel production, containing toxic elements such as lead and chromium.
They were brought into the country from Romania and falsely declared as concentrated zinc, officials said.
“The discovery of the EAFD, on transit in Malaysia and bound for Indonesia, is the biggest finding of its kind in Malaysian history,” said Environment and Water Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man in the Bernama report.
Malaysia is sending the waste back to Romania and asking Interpol to investigate.
Since China banned plastic waste imports in 2018 in an attempt to clean up its environment many countries have looked for alternative dumping grounds for their trash, creating problems for countries including Cambodia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
To limit irresponsible dumping, last year 187 countries added plastic to the Basel Convention, a treaty that regulates the movement of hazardous materials from one country to another. But the problem has continued regardless.
EAFD, the illegal shipment found in Malaysia, is classified as toxic waste under the Basel Convention, of which Malaysia is a signatory. Only the US, one of the world’s biggest plastic producers, and Haiti have not ratified the agreement.
The waste dumping crisis has garnered greater global attention in recent years, as countries like Malaysia and the Philippines have begun naming and shaming waste exporters and sending dumped trash back to their ports of origin.
Last May, Malaysia sent back 450 tonnes of plastic waste to their countries of origin, including the the United Kingdom, Canada, the US, Japan, and the Netherlands.
“We urge the developed countries to review their management of plastic waste and stop shipping garbage to developing countries,” said Yeo Bee Yin, Malaysia’s then-minister of energy, science, technology, environment and climate change.
But the problem has persisted; Malaysian authorities have already identified and halted at least 28 attempts to illegally import waste this year, Tuan Man said according to Bernama.
Waste dumping has even escalated into highly publicized diplomatic clashes; last year, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte recalled his ambassador to Ottawa after Canada missed a deadline to take back tonnes of its garbage. The Canadian government finally repatriated their trash after Duterte said he was prepared to “declare war” over the issue.
