Waste stranded at sea stirs toxic dispute

TIRANA, Albania (AFP) — Amid the scorching heat at the Albanian port of Durres, 102 containers set sail for Thailand in early July, sparking a high-seas drama that highlighted the perils of the global waste trade.

According to official papers reviewed by Agence France-Presse, the containers were filled with waste material that was set to be processed and destroyed far from Europe’s shores.

But weeks later, the containers are still adrift in the Mediterranean, following a months-long back-and-forth over what exactly was being shipped and whether it was legal.

Enormous amounts of waste are regularly sent to developing countries —part of a global industry that sees Western nations outsourcing its treatment to Asia and Africa.

The practice has long been denounced by environmental organizations.

Despite the criticism, the waste management trade continues to be a multibillion-dollar enterprise. The handling of illicit material alone generates between nine billion and 11 billion euros each year, according to the Financial Action Task Force, a leading watchdog tracking illegal trade.

The World Bank estimates that approximately two billion tons of waste are produced annually across the globe — expected to reach 3.4 billion tons by 2050.

Within those mountains of waste, regulators have deemed a certain portion hazardous.

These include substances that can be harmful to human health or the environment due to their chemical reactivity or toxicity levels.