Finally some tangible action to ship back toxic waste dumped here

By Ifham Nizam

The Sri Lanka government, with the backing of all relevant stakeholders, would use European Rules and Regulations to get compensation from the British company that dumped toxic waste shipments in Colombo three years back, Customs Media Spokesman, Sunil Jayarathne said yesterday.

He told The Island that the government had adopted measures on Saturday to send back 21 containers of toxic waste material to the United Kingdom; they are out of 263 TEUs dumped under the noses of authorities here in 2017/18. Jayaratne said the importation of such freight containers was a violation of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their disposal were against the rules and regulations of the European Union as well.

The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste and Their Disposal usually known as the Basel Convention is an international treaty designed to reduce the movement of hazardous waste among nations.

Jayaratne said that measures had been taken after continuous discussion with the Attorney General’s Department, Foreign Affairs Ministry, Central Environmental Authority and the British High Commission.

“On the instructions of AG’s Department, the process of sending back illegally imported 21 containers out of 263 containers commenced on Saturday, in the presence of the Director-General of Customs. Those 263 containers were imported by a private party misusing operation facilities, which fall under the purview of the Board of Investments..”

Under the provisions of a Gazette issued in 2013, a total of 263 freight containers of waste material had been imported to Sri Lanka from the UK, in 2017; with the intention of enhancing the commercial value of the material and re-exporting, an official said. Majority of the freight containers imported under the guise of used mattresses, but they contained plastic and polythene waste, Customs Department investigations has revealed.

Jayaratne said: “Sri Lanka Customs detected this in 2018 and preliminary investigations revealed that most of those containers had been imported to the country in 2017. Subsequently, the matter especially with regard to 242 containers were referred to courts and they were all ordered to be shipped back. Legal proceedings are currently underway in this regard.”

The Director-General of Customs has ordered stringent action against those responsible, under the provisions of the Customs Ordinance.

The environment portfolio was under former President Maithripala Sirisena at the time the hazardous waste was imported

Colombo Metal Industries and ITL Colombo Limited used their licences to import the hazardous waste. The Court of Appeal, on September 20, 2019 further extended its Interim Order directing the authorities to prevent any transport or movement of the consignment of waste within the country.