Indonesia is sending 547 containers of waste back to wealthy nations after discovering y were contaminated with used plastic and hazardous materials, amid a growing backlash in Souast Asia against being a dumping ground for developed world’s trash. Indonesia and China are biggest manufacturers of plastic waste which is polluting ir own land despite an import ban which china introduced in 2017.

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Official reaction

Nine containers with at least 135 tons of waste were sent back to Australia on Wednesday, customs director Heru Pambudi said at a news conference in Jakarta. “Some food still remains re with liquid flowing,” Pambudi said as he showed contents of several containers. He said 91 or containers will be returned to Australia after ministrative processes are complete. y were among 156 containers held in Tangerang port near Jakarta that will be returned soon to or countries, including U.S., New Zealand, Spain, Belgium, and Britain, he said.

Pambudi said government has stopped more than 2,000 containers this year in several ports in East Java, Jakarta, Tangerang, and Batam near Singapore. So far it has sent back 331, which will be followed by 216 ors to French, Germany, Greece, Nerlands. Slovenia, Cana, Japan, and Hong Kong. Authorities are still investigating rest. government anunced in July that it h sent back nearly 60 containers of waste from Australia that were supposed to contain only paper but included household waste, used cans, plastic bottles, oil packaging, used electronics, used baby diapers and used footwear.

Pambudi said several Indonesian-owned companies that imported waste must return it to countries of origin within 90 days. or sanctions were declared, although importing hazardous waste is a criminal offense with penalties of up to 12 years in prison and a fine of up to 12 billion rupiah ($850,000).

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Background

China banned import of plastic waste at end of 2017, resulting in more used plastic being sent to developing Souast Asian nations. A study published in June last year in journal Science vances that used United Nations data found or nations will need to find a home for more than 110 million tons of plastic waste by 2030 because of Chinese ban. Indonesia and China mselves are among world’s biggest producers of plastic waste, which is increasingly fouling ir land, seas, and beaches.

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