This archive report was first published on 30 July 2019.
Published on July 30, 2019, Indonesia's customs officials on Batam Island near Singapore made a significant discovery: containers loaded with a combination of garbage, plastic waste, and hazardous materials in clear violation of import rules.
According to Susila Brata, head of the local custom office, officials were present to witness the ship's departure on Monday.
Five containers were destined for Hong Kong, while two were headed back to France. However, authorities were still waiting for clearance to return another 42 containers of waste at the port, including shipments from the United States, Australia, and Germany.
Indonesia has been actively monitoring imported waste in recent months as part of its efforts to prevent the country from becoming a dumping ground for foreign trash.
Following China's decision to close its doors to foreign refuse last year, huge quantities of waste have been redirected to Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
Global concern over plastic pollution has been growing, with shocking images of waste-clogged rivers in Southeast Asia and accounts of dead sea creatures found with kilos of refuse in their stomachs.
According to the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), around 300 million tonnes of plastic are produced every year, with much of it ending up in landfills or polluting the seas.
