Members of the non-government EcoWaste Coalition raise their message against the illegal entry of foreign waste into the Philippines as 2.561 tons of mixed plastic and electronic waste from Hong Kong is sent back on Monday, June 3, after it was discovered at the Mindanao Container Terminal (MCT) in Tagaloan, Misamis Oriental. The trash, which arrived at the port last February 2, was declared as assorted electronic accessories but authorities immediately flagged the shipment. “By quickly returning the illegal waste shipment and skipping bureaucratic delay, our nation is sending a clear and unambiguous warning to waste traffickers to stop sending other countries’ wastes into our ports,” EcoWaste Coalition National Coordinator Aileen Lucero said in a statement. “We heaved a sigh of relief as the entry of some 70 containers of similar trash was aborted with the seizure of this test cargo,” she added.
