Complaint to Basel about waste containers : Waste business we are not aware of

The Central Environmental Authority has lodged a complaint with the Basel Convention office in Geneva regarding the mixed waste containers that was brought to the country from the UK.

According to a Spokesman of the CEA investigations regarding the complaint would commence shortly.

Further, the CEA has requested the Government Analyst to prove a report regarding the matter.

The Spokesman also noted that these container loads of mixed waste had been sent to Sri Lanka making use of the dispute between the European Union and the UK, but measures are being taken to send the containers back to the UK.

The Basel Convention was signed between several countries in Switzerland in 1989 pertaining to the disposal of world waste.

An agreement between countries disposing of waste containing heavy metal was reached during this meeting in Switzerland.

Especially the above mentioned waste being sent from developed countries to developing countries and the exchange of the above waste between developed countries had been suspended.

Sri Lanka too signed the convention in 1992 and the UK signed it in 1994.

Countries which clean others waste

Meanwhile, it is reported that this garbage had been imported for a waste recycling project.

According to an environmentalist who did not want to be named, Sri Lanka only has experience over garbage mountains and not this sort of waste disposal methods.
He said in some countries they import garbage from other countries and use it for the production of power and energy.

For example, Italy pays an Austrian Company EVN to remove around 70,000 tons of garbage disposed from houses in Rome.

Accordingly, based on the agreement the garbage is being transported along the Alps mountain range from Northern Italy to the EVN thermal power station in Austria to be used to generate power.
This garbage is being transported by train three times a week and each trainload carries around 700 tons of garbage, he said.

This garbage is being incinerated and steam is produced.

This steam is diverted to nearby power stations to be transformed into electricity. 
He pointed out that by this method around 170,000 households are provided electricity in the lower Austria area. 

He pointed out that the garbage issue in Sri Lanka is also similar to this, adding that due to the irresponsible and impulsive reporting by the local media, it has created panic and wrong notions among the people, which is regrettable.