Document wX5dZpn9Q6nRoowqYXwewY2V

Hazardous wastes: the European connection The chaotic situation in the world of toxic west* disposal take* another grotesque turn this weak with the revelation that Britain it actually importing from abroad significant volumes of haierdou* industrial watte An ME investigation shows that order-by-order basis The GkC hn notifications tor 00 ions of PCB wastes -- from all sources, home and abroad -- destroyed at Ralnham in 1072. lor 229 tons in 1973 and 362 tons last year, Redland Purle voinninered the information roughly one-quarter of the cyanide westos treated in the GLC etas during 1973 originated from continental Europe; of the to County Half that betweon August 1972 and Octobnr 1973 it incinerated 362 ions of watte PCB mntnrial. total 600 tons of waste polychlotmated Monsanto mid this woak that there wore biphenyls (PCBsj currently incinerated In two mein reasons for 're-importing' l*C8 the UK each year, about a tifih is brought in wastes for disposal by Redlend Purle. As from othar countries.* the original manufacturer it had e The Department ot the Environment has responsibility io seo that final disposal was j advised the chemical industry that there are effective (end aftor investigating Ellesmere no restrictions on the import of waste Port it had approved Purle `ns an opitfidor materials for disposal In the UK; the of the highest standard'). Secondly, 1 Department of Trade confirms that it although there were similar disposal requires no licartces for such imports. The (acllilios abroad, many were exclusively ! Customs and Excise Department could this contracted to Monsanto's competitors In ' 1 week offer no information on the tariff s (il PCB manufacture. In futuro it would be any) Imposed on chemical wastes. putting its foreign customers dlrm.tly In The GLC. which seems to have monitored ' this problem more closely then any other touch with tha British waste disposal contractors, as soon as il was satisfied that agency, regards It aa one of particular thuir disposal facilities mat its standards. concern. Oavid Milie. head of the For fle-Chem. Dr Arthur Coleman said poisonous waste unit, has records which that the company had enough PCBs on show that Redland Purfe treated 49 loos of its hands from UK arising# without <inlting Swedieh cyanide at its Reinhem plant in any extra from abroad. In the lest few 1973. out of a total of 220 tons notified to months there had been many ingiiiries from County Hall during the year. Last year the foreign sources - - even one <m disposal company notified tha GLC of its intention of cyanide In be imported from Ir.ratd -- - to troat a further 30 tons from the same but h wtr.tai has never actuary Iwen sent eource. but the consignment was never to his company. actually accaptad. Tha PCB situation is more complex. The mefor UK manufacturer of PCBe -- widely I See Comment, page 700 and alee, unknown quantities in tankers, page 702 uaod aa an insulating medium it> the 1 electrical manufacturing industry -- It r-- ! Monsanto Ltd, which evidently regards It a duty to oversee disposal ot this persistent organic substance when it becomes west# Thietneent that the company ships hack about ten tons a month of PCB weate fluids from the Continent to its Newport manufacturing plant: there it ie bulked and < according to Monsanto! routed by Redland PuHevla fleinhum to Ellesmere NBWSCUP/APCUT Port for incineration. Over the last t8 months, tha company says. Redland Purls has thus disposed of between 200-300 tons ` MUNICIPAL INOINItSINO of PCB fluids which became waste outside the UK. wur (Ok. MI4) Redland Purle says that this contract hae now lapsed end that, while in the past the company has mada direct imports of toxic waste lor disposal In tha UK and accepted 11 APR 1975 wastes imported by other companies, its policy It now to discontinue this practice Nevertheless, whilA Monsanto is reported to be considering the use of Re-Chem's new disposal facilities in Pontypool it ie continuing to uao Redland Purle for the disposal of foreign PtB wastes on an MONS 030946