Brazil kicks up stink over imported British trash

Reuters 16 Jul 09;

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazilians are kicking up a stink over 1,200 tonnes of British garbage, including toilet seats, dirty diapers and used syringes, that are rotting at two southern ports after arriving in container ships.

The trash, which arrived in Brazil earlier this year, was destined for Brazilian companies that said they were expecting shipments of recyclable plastic, officials say.

Instead, port officials found the containers that originated at the British port of Felixstowe packed with trash, ranging from the chemical toilet seats to food remnants and computer pieces.

Brazil's federal prosecution office asked the foreign ministry on Thursday to request that Britain take back the shipments.

"We will ask for the repatriation of this garbage," said Roberto Messias, the president of Brazilian environment agency IBAMA. "Clearly, Brazil is not a big rubbish dump of the world."

IBAMA has imposed fines on the import companies involved in the shipments and Messias said it was "difficult to believe" they were innocent of any wrongdoing.

The British Embassy said in a statement it was investigating the case and would "not hesitate to act" if it was found that a company had violated the Basel Convention on the movement of hazardous waste.

Both countries are signatories of the treaty, which came into force in 1992.

(Reporting by Fabio Murakawa and Stuart Grudgings; editing by Todd Eastham)

Brazil demands return of UK waste
BBC News 18 Jul 09;

Brazilian authorities are demanding that more than 1,400 tonnes of hazardous British waste found in three ports be returned to the UK.

The Brazilian environment agency, Ibama, says that international treaties have been violated.

An investigation into how and why the waste was sent to Brazil has been launched by the British government.

It has emerged that two companies named by Brazil as suspected exporters of the waste are owned by a Brazilian.

The waste, which included syringes, condoms, nappies and bags of blood, was found in about 90 shipping containers on three Brazilian docks in recent months.

The latest 25 containers found in a port near Sao Paulo were put on show for journalists on Friday.

'Not a rubbish dump'

The BBC's Gary Duffy said that inside them was everything from leftover food to cleaning products, creating a foul-smelling mess.

Among the rubbish were the names of many British supermarkets, and UK newspapers were also clearly identifiable.

Ibama officials say they want the waste sent back to the UK.

"We will ask for the repatriation of this garbage," said Roberto Messias, Ibama president.

"Clearly, Brazil is not a big rubbish dump of the world."

Reports in the UK media say the waste was sent from Felixstowe in eastern England to the port of Santos, near Sao Paulo, and two other ports in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.

The Brazilian companies that received the waste said they had been expecting recyclable plastic, The Times reported.

Ibama has named two British companies it suspects as being involved in the shipments.

The Brazilian director of those companies, who is based in England, told BBC Brazil that anything in the containers that was not plastic for recycling was the responsibility of his suppliers.

The British Embassy in Brazil said in a statement that it was investigating and would "not hesitate to act" if it was found that a UK company had violated the Basel Convention on the movement of hazardous waste.

Both the UK and Brazil are signatories of the treaty, which came into force in 1992.

UK Environment Secretary Hilary Benn told The Times he had ordered an investigation.

"If, having looked into this particular case, there are lessons that need to be learnt about enforcement, then we will do that," he said.

British probe into 'toxic waste dumping' in Brazil
Yahoo News 18 Jul 09;

LONDON (AFP) – The British government has launched a probe into reports several British companies have been involved in dumping hazardous waste in Brazilian ports, reports said Saturday.

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn told The Times newspaper he had ordered the investigation after reports that shipping containers carrying tonnes of syringes, condoms, bags of blood and other waste had turned up in Brazil.

Benn said he could consider tightening rules on transporting waste.

"If, having looked into this particular case, there are lessons that need to be learnt about enforcement, then we will do that," he said.

Some 90 shipping containers have been discovered on three docks in Brazil containing hazardous material in recent months, with local inspectors finding waste electronic equipment as well as medical byproducts, newspapers here said.

The waste has been linked to two British companies, and sent from Felixstowe in eastern England to docks at Brazil's Santos, near Sao Paulo, and two other ports in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, the Independent said.

The companies in Brazil that received the waste claimed to have been expecting recyclable plastic, The Times said.

Plastics, paper and other goods are shipped between countries around the world for recycling including for scrap metal.

The UN-administered Basel Convention, which came into force in 1992, bans shipments of toxic waste from industrialised countries.

UK set to take back Brazil waste
BBC 19 Jul 09;

The UK is working with Brazilian authorities to return more than 1,400 tonnes of toxic waste to Britain, the Environment Agency has said.

Head of waste Liz Parks said plans were being made to bring back the rubbish, but it could take a number of weeks.

An inquiry into how the waste, including syringes, condoms and bags of blood, was sent to three Brazilian ports has been launched by the UK.

The Environment Agency says those responsible could face prosecution.

It confirmed its Brazilian counterpart has named Worldwide Biorecyclables and UK Multiplas Recycling - both based in Swindon - as being involved, but would not confirm or deny whether the agency was investigating the two companies.

Ms Parks told the BBC's Newshour she understood the waste, found in about 90 shipping containers, was currently being held by the Brazilian authorities.

"They haven't yet released it, as far as I'm aware. But arrangements are being made for that to happen. And it will take a number of weeks for the waste to be returned," she said.

'Unlimited fines'

She also warned the British courts took the dumping of hazardous waste very seriously.

"We do prosecute people. We've had a number of successful prosecutions in recent years.

"And in fact in the crown court, people can be fined unlimited amounts and prison sentences are imposed."

On Saturday, Brazil demanded the waste be sent back to Britain.

Roberto Messias, president of the Brazilian environment agency, Ibama, declared that Brazil was "not a big rubbish dump of the world".

The agency also said the arrival of the toxic cargo had violated the Basel Convention on the movement of hazardous waste, of which both the UK and Brazil are signatories, which came into force in 1992.

Ingrid Oberg, regional chief of Ibama, later told the BBC the cargo mainly consisted of domestic waste.

"It's a lot of food containers and cleaning product containers. We found old clothes, shoes, papers, a lot of old newspapers.

"In some of the containers recently found there were also some technological products, like DVDs, pieces of computers, plastic stuff. But mainly it's domestic garbage."

British companies

As well as the presence of syringes, condoms and bags of blood, the rubbish was deemed dangerous because the contents of the containers were going rotten.

"There were larvae and then there's a big risk of contamination," said Ms Oberg.

"We are taking care so that it's not taken out of the containers. So it doesn't bring any contamination to our soil," she added.

Reports in the UK media say the waste was sent from Felixstowe in England to the port of Santos, near Sao Paulo, and two other ports in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.

It has also emerged that two companies named by Brazil as suspected exporters of the waste are owned by a Brazilian.

The director, who is based in England, told BBC Brazil the containers should have contained plastic for recycling and any other contents were the responsibility of his suppliers.