Dutch government agrees to retrieve plastic waste

JAKARTA (JP): The government of the Netherlands has agreed to reexport 75 containers of imported plastic waste from Indonesia before an Aug. 1 deadline.

State Minister of Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja said yesterday the Dutch government has agreed to cover all costs, which include transportation and disposal of the waste in an environmentally sound manner.

The agreement resulted from a two-day meeting between a delegation from the Netherlands, led by Deputy Director for Waste Management Policy of the ministry of housing, spatial planning and environment Dick Hoogendoorn and an Indonesian delegation from the Environmental Impact Management Agency (Bapedal) headed by Bapedal Deputy for pollution control Nabiel Makarim.

Sarwono emphasized that the move was a goodwill of the Dutch government and should not be seen as a precedent for similar situations in the future.

The 75 containers, some of which were also found to contain hazardous and non-recyclable waste such as medical waste, copper, zinc, lead and corrosive waste, could be traced back to exporters from the Netherlands.

Among the Indonesian importers are PT Sarana Gapura Merapi, PT Indopolimers Recycling, PT Citranusa Indo Abadi and PT Esa Setia Raya Abadi. Dutch companies listed as exporters include Plastic Veredelingsbedrijf Hardderwi, Beslplast Netherlands B.V. and several dubious addresses.

Almost all containers, which are currently stored at the Tanjung Priok Harbor, were exported and arrived before the date that both countries became signatories of the Basel Convention which controls the trans-boundary movements of hazardous wastes.

The convention also rules that trade of all kinds of hazardous waste must cease as of Jan. 1, 1998.

Both countries agreed to appoint contact persons or organizations to facilitate information exchanges on imports and exports of waste, which will be an addition to other formal agreements under the Basel Convention.

Delegations have also decided to conduct joint workshops next year to discuss the issue of policies and practices on waste management, including the implementation of the Basel Convention.

In March last year, it was reported that 195 containers were found to contain hazardous waste, with 172 stored in Jakarta's Tanjung Priok port, six in Medan's Belawan harbor and 17 in Surabaya's Tanjung Perak port.

The reexport of containers to the Netherlands will still leave 120 containers which reportedly originate from Germany, Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong.(pwn)