As many as 120 containers filled with plastic waste, weighing 2,300 metric tonnes and “imported” as used polyethylene terephthalate (PET), were seized at the Chennai harbour by officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) who found the import hazardous in nature, reported the Deccan Chronicle.
With illegally imported waste from various countries increasingly being dumped in the city, it took the DRI’s intervention to prevent Chennai from becoming the dustbin of the West, as the massive consignment was found to contain more garbage than PET bottles.
According to officials, 42 of the containers filed with waste were from the US, 39 from the Netherlands and Germany and the rest were from France and Spain.
A Manali-based firm had imported the materials by paying more than US$12.43 million. “We have asked them to send all the containers back to the countries of origin. We will be fining the firm for importing hazardous waste materials,” a senior DRI official said.
According to rules, used PET bottles can be imported for recycling.
“But it should come cleaned and without caps. This kind of import should get a clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. But these 120 containers landed here without the required licence,” added the DRI official.
“The waste was packed tightly and mostly crushed. Most of the bottles found among the plastic waste contained leftover drinks as well. It can cause major environmental and health hazards to locals if allowed to come in here. We can’t allow such imports,” the official said.
With illegally imported waste from various countries increasingly being dumped in the city, it took the DRI’s intervention to prevent Chennai from becoming the dustbin of the West, as the massive consignment was found to contain more garbage than PET bottles.
According to officials, 42 of the containers filed with waste were from the US, 39 from the Netherlands and Germany and the rest were from France and Spain.
A Manali-based firm had imported the materials by paying more than US$12.43 million. “We have asked them to send all the containers back to the countries of origin. We will be fining the firm for importing hazardous waste materials,” a senior DRI official said.
According to rules, used PET bottles can be imported for recycling.
“But it should come cleaned and without caps. This kind of import should get a clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. But these 120 containers landed here without the required licence,” added the DRI official.
“The waste was packed tightly and mostly crushed. Most of the bottles found among the plastic waste contained leftover drinks as well. It can cause major environmental and health hazards to locals if allowed to come in here. We can’t allow such imports,” the official said.