Take back toxic waste sent to PH, groups ask Canada

MANILA, Philippines—A coalition of environmental and civil society groups on Thursday called on Canada to take back the hazardous waste it shipped to the Philippines, warning of the risk these pose to health and the surroundings.

Campaigning through online petition platform Change.org, the coalition collected around 7,500 signatures within a week from people who supported the call for the Canadian government to “re-export” some 50 containers believed to contain toxic waste, including household trash and used adult diapers. The petition will be sent to the Canadian Embassy in Manila next week.

“This is a threat to the Philippine environment, not to mention public health. If they were able to smuggle used diapers into the country, what other things can they bring in?” said Richard Gutierrez of Ban To-

xics, one of the groups which launched the signature drive.

The Bureau of Customs found out on Jan. 21 that 50 containers supposedly carrying “scrap plastic materials for recycling” from Ontario, Canada, contained garbage, a misdeclaration that violated the Toxic Substances and Hazardous Wastes Control Act of 1990. Tarra Quismundo