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Cambodia Rejects 1,600 Tons of Plastic Waste From US, Canada

Kann Vicheika

   PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA -- Cambodian authorities have announced plans to
   return 1,600 tons of plastic waste exported from the U.S. and Canada,
   according to a high-ranking official from the Environmental Ministry.
   Inspectors found the waste Tuesday. It was packed in 83 containers
   unloaded in Sihanoukville, one of Cambodia's main ports.
   Ministry of Environment spokesmanNethPheaktratold VOA Khmer on
   Wednesday that "authorities are seeking the companies that smuggled the
   plastic waste in order to take legal action." He added that the waste
   would be returned "to the country of origin."
   NethPheaktrasaid 70 of the containers were shipped from the U.S. and 13
   came from Canada. Both countries are major waste exporters.
   'Not a dustbin'

   "Cambodia is not a dustbin where foreign countries can dispose of
   out-of-date e-waste, and the government also opposes any import of
   plastic waste and lubricants to be recycled in this country,"
   [1]saidNethPheaktra.

   In the past, Cambodian authorities have found radioactive and film
   waste arriving in Sihanoukville. He said the plastic waste found this
   week was not biodegradable.
   EmilyZeeberg, spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia, said the
   embassy "is monitoring reports of plastic waste at the Sihanoukville
   Autonomous Port."
   Zeebergadded that "we have requested additional information and are
   offering U.S. government assistance to determine both the exporter
   (country of origin) and the importing entity here in Cambodia."
   Sorn Chey, who works with the [2]Affiliated Network for Social
   Accountability in East Asia and the Pacific, said the authorities
   should heed control mechanisms. "This is something that should not take
   place," he added.

   Chinese project

   Cambodia's rejection this week was the latest step in a trash crisis
   that emerged when China began [3]Operation Green Fence in February
   2013. It was aimed at reducing the vast amounts of contaminated
   recyclables and waste sent to China.

   In January 2018, Beijing banned almost all imports of two dozen types
   of recyclable materials, such as plastics, mixed paper and electronic
   waste. Now, unless the materials are clean and sorted so they are
   unmixed, China rejects them.

   Since then, other countries in Southeast Asia that accepted waste have
   started to turn it away. In May, Malaysia [4]returned 450 tons of
   plastic wasteto the U.S., the United Kingdom, Canada, Japanand the
   Netherlands. Earlier this month, Indonesia [5]rejected waste from
   Australia.

References

   1. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/07/18/cambodia-send-back-1-600-tons-plastic-trash-us-canada/1764920001/
   2. http://www.ansa-eap.net/about-us/who-we-are/program-areas/
   3. https://www.waste360.com/business/what-operation-green-fence-has-meant-recycling
   4. https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/28/asia/malaysia-plastic-waste-return-intl/index.html
   5. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jul/09/indonesia-sends-rubbish-back-to-australia-and-says-its-too-contaminated-to-recycle