Indonesia returning 57 containers of developed world's waste
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In this picture taken on June 19, 2019, Indonesian officials check one of the 49 containers loaded with a combination of garbage, plastic waste and hazardous materials in violation of import rules, in Batam island. - Dozens of shipping containers full of waste will be returned to France and other developed countries, Indonesia said on July 2, 2019 as Southeast Asian nations increasingly reject serving as dumping grounds for international trash
"Jakarta: Indonesia is sending dozens of containers of waste back to Western nations after finding it was contaminated with used diapers, plastic and other materials, adding to a growing backlash in Southeast Asia against being a dumping ground for the developed world's rubbish.
The Directorate General of Customs said Tuesday that 49 containers in Batam port near Singapore will be returned to Australia, the U.S., France, Germany and Hong Kong.
Separately, the head of customs at East Java's Tanjung Perak port, Basuki Suryanto, said eight other containers with 210 tons of waste that arrived from Australia last month were supposed to contain only paper but included diapers, plastic bottles and oil packaging.
China recently banned the import of plastic waste, resulting in more being sent to Southeast Asia.
