Fwd: Indonesia: 113 Containers of Imported Toxic Waste Bust at Jakarta Port Could Point to Larger Problem
yuyun ismawati
Toxic Waste Bust at
Jakarta Port Could Point to Larger Problem
Fidelis E.
Satriastanti | February 01, 2012
Officials at Jakarta’s Tanjung Priok Port investigate shipping containers in which hazardous waste was found.
(Antara Photo/Ujang Zaelani)
Environmental activists have hailed last week’s seizure of 113 shipping
containers that had carried toxic waste into Indonesia, but contend that the
country is still an open dumping ground for such illegal substances from
abroad.
Officials inspecting the containers at Jakarta’s Tanjung Priok Port found a
hazardous cocktail of metals, refuse and electronic waste. On import documents,
their contents had been listed as harmless scrap steel.
Yuyun Ismawati, founder of the Indonesia Toxics-Free Network, said the case was
symptomatic of how corruption had allowed Indonesia to become a dumping ground
for other countries’ waste.
“We have regulations on hazardous waste traffic,” she said. “The officials
could have done better if they wanted to work with more integrity and
prioritize the safety of the public and the health of the environment.”
Yuyun said part of the problem was the lack of government coordination.
“The Environment Ministry takes a strong position and has solid regulations
regarding this matter, but as usual it lacks good coordination with the other
ministries,” she said.
“For their part, these other ministries apply laxer regulations on chemical
safety and hazardous substances and waste, thanks to strong lobbying from
industry. Most ministries will prioritize the business sector over public
health.”
Masnellyarti Hilman, the deputy environment minister for toxic waste
management, said Indonesia had banned the import of all toxic and hazardous
waste.
She said there were three pieced of legislation on the issue: The 2009
Environmental Protection and Management Law, the 2009 Waste Management Law and
the 1995 Customs and Excise Law.
“On paper, the 113 containers held scrap steel, which is not categorized as
toxic or hazardous waste,” she said.
“The shipment was green-lighted, but officials then became suspicious. What we
found was not just scrap steel but also dangerous plastic waste, dirt and soil.
“You could see right away that the plastic was dangerous because it had the
toxic sign [a skull and crossbones] and the corrosion sign [a beaker of acid].
As for the dirt and soil, we need to run lab tests first to determine what it
is exactly.”
Anyone who tries to sneak toxic waste into the country, she added, banks on
gatekeeper authorities dropping their guard.
“They wait for their lucky break, for conditions to become busy, which is when
they think our officials are off-guard,” she said.
However, Yuyun said that should not be an excuse for letting in illegal waste.
The monitoring of such shipments should start at the port where they originate
and continue through any transit ports all the way to the final destination.
“We should have been able to prevent the ships entering Indonesia if we were
tracking the shipments,” she said.
“Ship tracking can be done for free online [at shipfinder.co], but you must
also check the potential exporting companies listed for hazardous waste export
in OECD [Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development] countries.”
Yuyun said there needed to be more stringent controls at the nine ports across
the country that were allowed to receive restricted cargo.
“The designated ports must be equipped with the proper tools and equipment to
check the goods inside suspicious containers,” she said.
“The Ministry of Finance also should empower the customs office to increase its
coordination and cooperation with other institutes nationwide, regionally and
globally, such as the police, the Basel Convention’s Southeast Asian center,
Interpol and NGOs.”
The Basel Convention, an international treaty to which Indonesia is a party,
regulates the transfer of hazardous waste between countries, especially the
dumping of such materials by developed countries in developing ones. It took
effect in 1992.
Indonesia has also ratified the Basel Ban Amendment, which goes further by
prohibiting all exports of hazardous waste, including electronic waste and
obsolete ships, from a list of developed countries to developed ones.
The Basel Ban Amendment has not yet entered into full force, but it is
considered morally binding by the countries that are a party to it.