[greenyes] Garbage exports: stating the obvious

[Jenny Gitlitz <jenny.gitlitz@no.address>]

Dear Keith,
It's tough to imagine a situation where people will honestly  say they
_support_ garbage exports from Ireland to Africa.   Of course, the potential
exporters will do just that...citing the economic benefits to the
impoverished African region, and (of course!!) the complete harmlessness of
the garbage in question and the reasonable environmental standards being
complied with blah blah blah.

I am quite sure you'll get dozens of emails from people on this listserve
stating the obvious: that this type of export is reprehensible, morally
corrupt, exploitive, imperialist, etc.  That Irelanders should reduce and
recycle their own garbage, and failing that, should burn it or bury it in
their own backyards...  All that is true. What else is there to say?

To be fair, I suppose some questions are in order:
Who is the proposed exporter? (private company and/or the Irish government)
What type of trash are we talking about? (municipal/hazardous/other)
What quantities are involved?
What is the destination country in Africa?
What environmental regulations exist there?
What is the local sentiment about the garbage imports?  Do locals know? Are
they educated enough to understand the long-term implications?  Who is
benefitting in said African country?
What are the financial details of the deal?
What is the timeline?
Is it a done deal or still in negotiation?

--Jenny

Jennifer Gitlitz
Research Director, Container Recycling Institute

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