The Philippines Ships 69 Containers of Rubbish Back to Canada. The riot led to muscular diplomatic tensions, but now the issue seems settled: after nearly six years, the Philippines still sent 69 containers with waste return-to-sender, so to Canada.
The fight escalated a few weeks ago when Filipino President Duterte recalled his ambassador from Canada, the country that sent a hundred trash containers to the Philippines in 2013 and 2014.
The Canadian company responsible for the waste dump sent the containers to the sea under the guise of a “recyclable load”. In reality, the bins were full of newspapers, bottles, diapers and other waste with no recycling value.
Filipino President Duterte took the issue seriously, environmental activists blaming the West for considering the Philippines a “waste dump of the world.” Canada has long argued that it was a business transaction and that the government had no role.
But in the end, Canada gave way, the country now also pays for the return of the waste containers. The ship with containers left today, next month the cargo will arrive in Vancouver. Upon the departure of the ship, the Philippine Foreign Minister tweeted: “Baaaaaaa bye, as we say it.”