Brazil Demands Repatriation of UK Hazardous Waste 110
Peace Corps Online writes "BBC reports that Brazilian authorities are demanding the return of more than 1,400 tons of hazardous British waste found in about 90 shipping containers on three Brazilian docks. The waste, which includes syringes, condoms, and bags of blood, has been identified as being of UK origin from the names of British supermarkets and newspapers among the rubbish. Reports in the UK media say the waste was sent from Felixstowe in eastern England to the port of Santos, near Sao Paulo, and two other ports in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. The British government has launched an investigation into how and why the waste was sent to Brazil and the British Embassy in Brazil has said in a statement that it was investigating and would 'not hesitate to act' if it was found that a UK company had violated the Basel Convention on the movement of hazardous waste. Meanwhile Brazil is demanding the immediate return of the rubbish to the UK. 'We will ask for the repatriation of this garbage,' says Roberto Messias, head of the Brazilian environment agency. 'Clearly, Brazil is not a big rubbish dump of the world.'" Two UK companies named by Brazil as suspected exporters of the waste are owned by a Brazilian, based in the UK, who says that anything that was in the containers other than the expected recyclable plastic is a problem to take up with his suppliers.
Could be worse. (Score:5, Funny)
I hear that the Port of Buenos Aires was sent 31 shipping containers of British food.
Re:Wow. Truth really IS so much stranger than fict (Score:5, Funny)
This is why we should make a giant ball of garbage and shoot it into space!
Re:Wow. Truth really IS so much stranger than fict (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Could be worse. (Score:5, Funny)
Yes. Although they sometimes call it pudding.
Black Puddings (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Why is this on Slashdot ? (Score:5, Funny)
Garbage in Garbage out maybe?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbage_In,_Garbage_Out [wikipedia.org]
Re:Could be worse. (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Could be worse. (Score:5, Funny)
Reminds me of the old saw:
Heaven - Where the police are British, the lovers Italian, the chefs French, the cars German, all organized by the Swiss.
Hell - Where the police are German, the lovers Swiss, the chefs British, the cars French, all organized by the Italians.
Re:Why is this on Slashdot ? (Score:4, Funny)
Like clockwork.
Re:Could be worse. (Score:1, Funny)
Reality - Where the police are Traffic Analyzers, the lovers Video Clips, the chefs Pizza boys, the cars Public Transport, all organized by Linus.