Amsterdam, 4 February 1998 -- Greenpeace activists from the Netherlands, Germany and the Philippines today closed down a PVC-scrap export company in Lelystad, the Netherlands. The entrance of the company was blocked, as Greenpeace urged the Dutch Government to "stop exports of PVC waste". One Greenpeace activist of Dutch nationality got wounded during the protest.

"The Netherlands should stop using Asia as its dumping ground. By allowing the export of PVC waste to Asia, the Dutch Government is party to the poisoning of workers and the environment in our region", said Von Hernandez of Greenpeace. "This behaviour is shameful and tends to undermine the Dutch government's commitment in international negotiations to stop the export of hazardous waste to developing countries."

Huge amounts of PVC waste produced in the Netherlands are regularly shipped to Nigeria, Pakistan and the Philippines. Research shows that since 1990, more than 100,000 metric tons have been exported. Greenpeace traced the Dutch exporter Daly Plastics BV, which obtained a permit to ship 3,500 tons of PVC (approximately 140 truckloads) to one single company in the Philippines in 1998. This quantity of PVC waste alone is more than the post-consumer waste which is recycled in the Netherlands every year.

The Dutch plastic waste exported to Asia is recycled into various products of poor quality they end up in burning dumpsites in a few years. The quality of the products made from recycled PVC is so low that there is no demand for them in the Netherlands. The pipes that are manufactured in the Philippines are only suitable for temporary projects or low-cost housing.

Moreover, recycling PVC in countries with few or no environmental regulations is dangerous, because PVC contains chlorine and toxic additives. Workers in recycling factories in Pakistan and the Philippines suffer horrific working conditions and present respiratory problems, allergies, skin and eye irritations.

This PVC waste is not recycled in the country of origin, because of higher wages and higher product standards. Even if the plastic can at first be recycled, sooner or later it will end up on an Asian dumpsite or it will be burned, releasing toxic substances like dioxin.

"Sending the scrap to Asia is in fact delayed dumping," said Sabina Voogd of Greenpeace.

In 1994, the Parties of the Basel Convention agreed to ban the export of hazardous waste from OECD to non-OECD countries for dumping and recycling purposes. The ban, which took effect in January 1998, was ratified by the European Union in September 1997. European legislation has been amended accordingly. Since it came into existence, the ban has faced fierce opposition from countries that wanted to keep exporting hazardous waste. The next Conference of Parties will meet at the end of February in Malaysia.

"If we can't handle our own waste, we shouldn't be producing it in the first place", added Voogd. "Instead of assessing poor countries for their capacity to treat European waste, the Netherlands should rather assess their production technology back home, so as to promote non-toxic alternatives".