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Huge quantities of electronic and electrical waste are exported to Asian and African facilities, where they are treated under conditions potentially harmful to human health and the environment. In Portugal still unknown numbers of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) are leaving the country illegally, but the Inspectorate General of the Environment and Spatial Planning (IGAOT) promises to take up this matter.
To respond to this situation, “we are investigating the shipments, the amount and waste streams concerned “responds Mario Grácio, inspector director of the inspection unit responsible for waste management. “There are many indications that the WEEE passes national borders illegally”, confirms the inspector, warning that the difficulty that exists in differentiating between WEEE and second-hand equipment.
Cooperation is sought with the Portuguese Environment Agency and the Directorate General of Customs, when it comes to shipments going though ports. On land, the Office for the Protection of Nature and the Environment, the SEPNA/GNR, is a major ally. “Above all we want to alert the various entities for this reality” explains Mário Grácio. For example, containers of WEEE have been detected in the port of in Rotterdam from Portugal, which did not meet the requirements of the law. But also imports of waste occur, as recently shown by a detected import of batteries from Cape Verde.
Click here for the full story at ambienteonline.pt (in Portuguese).