Hi all, today’s blog post would like to share issues of large amounts of waste being transported from developed countries to less developed countries.

Crates of unwanted rubbish waste from the West, have been transported and thus accumulated in the ports of the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam. (Ellis-Petersen, 2019) A wide range of toxic wastelands of plastics imported from Europe and the US have built up across Malaysia. These Southeast Asian countries have now vowed to return these garbage from where they are originated (Ellis-Petersen, 2019). Despite threats to put off diplomatic ties, these developed countries such as Canada still refused to even acknowledge the issue for years.

An image of an Indonesian scavanger stands in front of burning plastic waste at an imported plastic dumpsite in Mojokerto. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/may/28/treated-like-trash-south-east-asia-vows-to-return-mountains-of-rubbish-from-west

For instance, in Indonesia, 60 containers of foreign hazardous and toxic waste have been left behind in a port in Riau Island for the past five months (Ellis-Petersen, 2019). This itself could result in toxic emissions entering into the local atmosphere, harming those living nearby. All of this is happening in a country that already has issues and is struggling to manage its domestically-produced waste.

The issue of waste being transported in massive quantities to the shores of developing countries in Southeast Asia, is an issue of contestation. It is ironic how these DCs are not responsible for their own countries’ waste and even go an extra mile causing environmental injustice for poorer countries to take and deal with the waste of richer nations. These LDC often do not have the expertise and proper handling techniques for waste management, where the improperly disposed e-waste results in life-endangering toxic chemicals released into the environment. (Eco-Business)

To conclude, I personally feel that developed countries now have to take responsibility of their own waste management, improve their waste sorting capacity and this allow more recycling in the future rather than dumping all waste together causing unwanted forms of contamination.

References:

Ellis-Petersen, H. (2019, May 28). Treated like trash: South-east Asia vows to return mountains of rubbish from west. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/may/28/treated-like-trash-south-east-asia-vows-to-return-mountains-of-rubbish-from-west

Eco-Business. (n.d.). Defusing Southeast Asia’s e-waste time-bomb. https://www.eco-business.com/news/defusing-southeast-asias-e-waste-time-bomb/