Signs Of More E-Waste Due To FTA Singapore

Crisis

The Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) said the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed with Singapore had enabled the import of electronic wastes and waste materials released by municipal councils and medical facilities of other countries to Sri Lanka.

The Executive director of the Organization Hemantha Withanage said the FTA has listed a number of waste materials categorized by the Harmonised System (HS) Code, which can be imported to Sri Lanka.

He expressed those views at a media briefing which was held recently at Colombo.

“Waste pharmaceuticals, sewage sludge and residual products of the chemical or allied industries are some of the waste materials which can be imported to the country in order to generate electricity and to use for other purposes,” he told a news conference.

He said a certain individual in Sri Lanka has already made preparations to bring down mountains of foreign garbage, which exceeding the garbage size of the country, to be placed at Aruwakkalu landfill site in Puttalam.

Withanage noted that three waste to energy plans of the government can be a part of this FTA agreement and waste transportation to Sri Lanka.

He emphasized that the import and export list of FTA should be revised and updated.

When he was queried is there any possibility to happening of such garbage dumping to country as Sri Lanka has been a member Basel convention- the international convention against the trans boundary exchange of hazardous wastes and their disposal, he replied that still there is a possibility to happening of such thing.

“Basel convention is the only safeguard for us. Hazardous chemicals cannot be transferred to country under it. However, if they export plastic wastes, Basel convention has nothing to do with it as plastic is not hazardous according to convention.”, he said.