Philippines slams the door on world's plastic waste

Country enlists corporate help as it moves to ban trash imports for 3 months

20190911 philippines plastic

Plastic waste is sorted at a new recycling plant in Metro Manila. The Philippines has seen its plastic waste imports rise 150% from 2016 to about 11,800 tons in 2018.

JUN ENDO, Nikkei staff writer

MANILA -- The Philippines is getting serious about plastic waste imported illegally from developed countries, announcing in August that it would impose a three-month moratorium on waste-related imports.

It has even sent some back to Canada, which had been discovered shipping waste illegally to the country for years -- a revelation that so infuriated President Rodrigo Duterte that he recalled his ambassador to Canada and threatened war.

Sponsored Content

About Sponsored ContentThis content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.