Cargo ship arrives in Philippines to return Canadian trash

Associated Press
Thursday, May 30, 2019 9:36 a.m. | Thursday, May 30, 2019 9:36 a.m.

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Greenpeace activists and other environmental organizations display a banner as the cargo ship MV Bavaria, the container vessel allegedly hired to ship back the 69 containers loaded with garbage from Canada, slowly enters the mouth of Subic Bay, Thursday, May 30, 2019 in Subic, Zambales province west of Manila, Philippines.

SUBIC, Philippines — A Philippine official says a cargo ship has arrived in a northern port to pick up and return 69 containers of Canadian garbage which the government in Manila says was shipped illegally to the Philippines years ago.

Administrator Wilma Eisma of Subic Bay freeport says the containers of garbage will be loaded on the M/V Bavaria starting Thursday night and it will head to Canada on Friday.

President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to forcibly ship back the containers of trash, which officials say were falsely declared as recyclable plastic scraps and shipped to Manila in 2013 to 2014.

A Malaysian official has said her country will also send tons of non-recyclable plastic waste back to Western countries.