MANILA, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines will push for the repatriation of Canadian trash dumped here three years ago, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) said Tuesday.
The decision was made following an inter-agency meeting held Monday by the representatives from the BOC, the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Justice.
Customs said the meeting is supporting the June 30 decision of a lower court in Manila, ordering the shipping back of the waste to Canada at the expense of the importer.
The court order covers 50 40-footer containers found to have heterogeneous plastic materials, all consigned to Chronic Plastics Inc. and arrived in the Philippines in early 2013.
BOC said the containers, parked in Subic in northern province of Zambales and in Manila International Container Yards in the Philippine capital, have been causing port congestion, posing hazards to public health, and incurring expenses to Customs.
It said the Justice Department will file a motion for the execution of the order when the lower court conducts another hearing on the case by the end of the month.
