A ship carrying 69 containers of waste mislabeled as plastic recyclables on Saturday returned to Canada from the Philippines, closing a chapter on a dispute that started in 2013 and sparked a diplomatic furor between Ottawa and Manila.
The shipment was taken off the container ship Anna Maersk docked close to Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal and arrived at Global Terminals Canada (GCT) Deltaport in Delta, British Columbia, part of Greater Vancouver, GCT said in a statement.
Metro Vancouver spokeswoman Sarah Lusk said the waste would be sent to a Waste-to-Energy facility in Burnaby, where it will be incinerated, but added that there was “uncertainty with respect to timing” and the facility might not receive the waste over the weekend.
Photo: AFP
The waste containers became part of a diplomatic dispute between Manila and Ottawa, as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to “declare war” against Canada and withdrew top diplomats from Canada after Ottawa missed a May 15 deadline to take back the waste.
The waste was shipped to the Philippines in 2013 and 2014 and mislabeled as recyclable plastics.
The shipment actually contained a mixture of paper, plastics, electronics, and household waste, including kitchen trash and diapers, even though Philippine law prohibits imports of mixed plastics and household trash.
Some of the waste was disposed of in the Philippines, but much of it stewed in local ports for years.
A Philippine court ruled in 2016 that it be returned.
Canada made arrangements in late May to accept the containers and said it had hired Bollore Logistics Canada to safely bring them back as soon as possible.
Waste disposal has emerged as a topic of political dispute between Southeast Asian countries and the developed world, with Malaysia in May becoming the latest to demand nations such as the US, Japan, France, Canada, Australia and Britain take back 3,000 tonnes of plastic waste.
Environment and Climate Change Canada last month said that the government was in talks with Malaysia to recover the plastic waste that originated from Canada.
Canada produces more waste per capita than other countries with comparable levels of economic development, according to a study by the Conference Board of Canada.
Additional reporting by AFP
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