Unending dumping of potentially hazardous plastic scrap in the country by the Middle Eastern countries not only poses a serious threat to the health and hygiene of the people but polluting the environment as well. Statistics show that from January 2013 to May 2013, in five months, Pakistan imported over 13,000 metric tons of plastic scrap out of which 69 percent was from Middle Eastern countries only.
In May 2013 alone, Pakistani scrap importers imported over 2,300 tons of scrap out of which 1,035 metric tons ie 44 percent came from Saudi Arabia only. Concerned government departments are well aware of this unending menace of hazardous plastic scrap dumping in Pakistan.
Stakeholders are pinning great hopes in the new government that it would put a complete ban on the dumping of hazardous plastic scrap and no imports would be allowed from now onwards. They regretted that the previous government did not show any seriousness in controlling the dumping by Middle Eastern countries. Pakistan's trade and commercial attachés in Middle Eastern countries could have taken up this issue with the authorities there or the government would have approached respective embassies of these countries in Islamabad with its concerns. Unfortunately the dumping continued and release remained easier from dry ports of Lahore courtesy custom authorities.
They have high hopes that PML-N government would take up this matter seriously and use its good relations with Middle Eastern countries to curb the influx of this scrap in the country. Middle Eastern countries, they said had become the most reliable and consistent source of plastic scrap for Pakistani importers. April 2013 plastic scrap import figures indicate that 57 percent of the scrap was imported from Middle East out of which 40 percent was imported from Saudia Arabia alone. More than 2,000 metric tons of plastic scrap was released in April alone out of which 98 percent was released from different dry ports in Lahore whereas two percent was released from Islamabad Port. Release continued from Lahore Prem Nagar, Thokhar Niaz Baig and Lahore Dry Port, where custom authorities seem to have little or no regard for rules and laws.
Stakeholders said after strict checking of plastic scrap consignments in Karachi, importers selected Lahore dry ports to have their potentially hazardous plastic scrap consignments cleared. Recent release of plastic scrap from Islamabad could be an indication that importers are now again shifting their base from Lahore to Islamabad to dodge the authorities.
They further said that majority of the importers were just traders who did not have access to proper recycling or production facilities. Pakistan's lax mechanisms to control the violation of environmental regulations enable such unscrupulous elements to continue to dump potentially hazardous plastic scrap in the country which poses serious threats to environment and humans. Officials release the imported plastic scrap on irrelevant letters and certificates presented by the importers violating the Import Policy Order.
Pakistan imports all kind of plastic scrap that includes hazardous plastic scrap such as sewerage and drainage pipes, medical and clinical waste, cable insulation, bottles, food containers, packaging film etc containing contaminants and hazardous traces of pesticides, pest dump, chemicals, sewerage, infectious disease, food particles, unknown composition of polymer which are toxic and eco toxic.
Pakistan's Import Policy restricts import of hospital waste of all kind, used sewerage pipes and used chemical containers. Furthermore policy allows import only to industrial consumers subject to the following two conditions (i) Certification confirming appropriate manufacturing facility and determination of import quota from Concerned Federal/Provincial Environmental Protection Agency & (ii) Inspection from technically qualified designated pre-shipment inspection companies (notified by the Federal government) to ensure that shipments are in compliance with the Basel convention.
The Basel convention specifies 27 waste streams and 18 constituent materials; whose presence in any product can make it hazardous. Therefore to declare products non-hazardous not only exterior items but constituent material need to be checked, but the country doesn't have capability to carry out tests to do the same.