S'pore takes back disputed waste

S'pore takes back disputed waste

SINGAPORE: A barge of waste material at the center of a 10- month dispute between Singapore and Indonesia is back in the city-state, a recycling company said on Wednesday.

EcoWise Holdings placed an announcement in the Singapore Exchange Web site, saying it has "received the organic materials, and the materials will be recycled according to approved procedures".

The 1,149 tonnes of organic material was sent to the island of Batam through a subsidiary.

Indonesian authorities claimed the shipment contained heavy metals and was deemed hazardous under Indonesian law. Singapore said the material was compost used as a soil conditioner and fertilizer.

The dispute was taken to the secretariat of the Basel Convention in Geneva, the body that deals with movement of hazardous waste between countries.

A meeting last month between officials from both sides cleared Singapore of dumping toxic waste. The city-state offered to take back the shipment. -- DPA