China News Service, September 28. According to Agence France-Presse, on the 27th local time, Sri Lanka Customs stated that a freighter carrying 21 garbage containers had set off for the UK on the 26th.
The garbage was previously transported from the UK to Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan government stated that this violated international laws on the transportation of hazardous materials.
According to reports, these garbage totaled 260 tons and were transported to the port of Colombo by ship between September 2017 and March 2018.
These 21 containers were originally supposed to contain used mattresses, carpets and blankets, but they actually contained medical waste.
Sri Lanka Customs did not disclose the type of hospital waste, but some officials said that the containers used to carry such hazardous waste contained rags and bandages used in hospitals.
A spokesperson for Sri Lanka Customs said, “The shipper has agreed to take back these 21 containers.” “We are working hard to seek compensation from those responsible for shipping the containers into Sri Lanka.”
In addition, another 242 containers were shipped from the UK to Sri Lanka from 2017 to 2018 and are still stranded in the country.
The Sri Lankan government is currently taking legal action to require these containers to be "returned".