Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 19) – Over 5,000 tons of South Korean garbage which were dumped in the Philippines will be exported back starting today, an environment group said.
The EcoWaste Coalition said Sunday that a “return to sender” ceremony was held at the Mindanao International Container Terminal in Misamis Oriental to re-export the first 60 container vans of contaminated plastic waste from South Korea.
The remaining batch of waste products would be returned to the country on February 9.
Other environment advocates such as the Development Interventions for Sustainability, the Sustainable Davao Morment, and the Bureau of Customs (BuCor) held the re-export of the waste shipments.
“The re-exportation of the falsely declared waste materials back to South Korea affirms our nation’s readiness and resolve to bring this dumping controversy to its just conclusion,” BuCor-Region 10 (Northern Mindanao) port collector John Simon said.
The tons of illegal waste, which have been sitting in the country since 2018, was supposed to be returned to the source as far back as January 2019.
Of the 6,500 tons of unwanted waste which authorities discovered sometime in July and October 2018, only 1,400 tons were returned to South Korea last year.
The rest of the garbage remained at the Verde Soko compound within the Phividec Industrial Authority premises in Tagoloan due to logistical issues.
The South Korean government previously said that it would assist the Philippines in processing the re-exportation of the garbage through its embassy in Manila.
READ: 5,000 tons of garbage may finally be shipped back to South Korea soon
