Grassroots Leaders Chime In with Clamor for Canada to Take Back Trash, Decry Garbage Dumping

Community leaders appealed to Canadian people’s kindness and sensibility as they press President Benigno S. Aquino III and Prime Minister Stephen Harper to agree on the immediate return of 50 container vans of Vancouver plastics and wastes back to Canada.

The community leaders hail from areas hosting waste disposal facilities where the Canadian garbage could potentially end up being buried, burned or stockpiled if not returned to Canada for environmentally-sound disposal.

“Our country is wallowing in trash and our dumps are bursting at the seams.  With waste production reaching 39,422 tons per day this year, we unquestionably have a monstrous trash problem to deal with.  The Canadian people will surely understand if we say ‘no’ to their garbage delivery,” said Noli Abinales of Buklod Tao of San Mateo, Rizal, which is adjacent to the town of Rodriguez that hosts the Montalban Sanitary Landfill and the Rizal Provincial Sanitary Landfill. 

“The country’s waste disposal sites are inappropriate for Canada’s garbage and even for our own.  Many are deplorably situated in environmentally-critical, flood-prone and densely-populated areas.  By simply  doing a Google search, our Canadian friends will have a visual sense of the gravity of the problem and why we don’t want their garbage,” said Romy Hidalgo of the November 17 Movement from Navotas City, home to the Navotas Sanitary Landfill Facility by the sea.

“Garbage dumping is causing damage not only to community health and environment, but also to time-honored livelihood and culture.  We stand against all forms of dumping to protect whatever is left of our ecosystems and way of life.  The good people of Canada will certainly appreciate that,” said Maria Teresa Bondoc of the Concerned Citizens of Obando, a group opposing the controversial Obando Sanitary Landfill located near the Obando River and Manila Bay.

Ochie Tolentino of the Cavite Green Coalition has this to say: “The disposal of Canada’s garbage even in government-licensed landfills or waste treatment plants will only fan community discontent and resentment over the problematic operations of some of these facilities.    I believe that the people of Canada would not want to be associated with such operations that are blamed for making people sick.”

Cavite is home to some hazardous waste treatment plants that have earned the ire of community residents due to their polluting practices.

“Considering the sentiments of pollution-impacted communities in the Philippines, we reiterate our appeal to President Aquino and Prime Minister Harper to do what is right and fair and just send the garbage back to Canada for environmentally-sound disposal,” said Aileen Lucero, Coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition, a staunch non-profit advocacy group against wastes and toxics.    

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