SINGAPORE Feb 1: Rich western nations and Japan are dumping toxic waste in Asian countries under the guise of recycling, the International environmental group Greenpeace said Tuesday urging a total ban on such shipments reports AFP

In a report released here Greenpeace said that it had documented schemes that could have resulted In the shipment of up to 10.4 million tonnes of hazardous wastes to Asian countries over the past four years.

"Popular and government opposition have prevented many of these shipments, but a flood of waste is pouring into Asia nonetheless the group

said In its report. the waste Invasion of Asia

Greenpeace said that, locked out of the rest of the world western waste traffick ers were making a last-ditch effort to keep Asia as a wel come home for their pollutants and were taking "a devastating toll from people and the envl ron merit

Greenpeace toxic-trade campaigner Simon Divecha said that the 24 members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the so-called rich man s club, were the major generators and ex par’ers of toxic waste sent to Asian countries.

They used to send their

wastes to Africa. South Ante rica and Ihe Caribbean but theae countries have now been closed off." he said

Divecha said that the chief culprits, dubbed by Green peace the sinister seven were Australia Canada. Fin land Japan Germany Britain and the United Stales

He said that between 1990 and 1993. Australia. Canada Germany Britain and the United States shipped more than 5 4 million tonnes of toxic waste to Asian countries.

Greenpeace offlclala said that they were releasing the report here to coincide with the first tour by the orgarilsa non ■ ship MV Greenpeot e of

Singapore Malaysia. Indonesia and the Philippines to draw attention to the problem.

While oh a sim^ar trip In October last year. MV Green peace filmed a Russian ship dumping tonnes of liquid radioactive waste Into the seas off Japan

The report said 1 hat the hazardous material shipped to Asian countries included scrap lead contaminated plastics, aluminium, copper, rlickel cadmium incinerator ash and medical waste

There are currently plans awaiting approval to send household garbage, plastic and lead battery wastes and hospi 1 al wastes from the United Stales Europe and Japan to

Bangladesh. Cambodia. China. India and Vietnam

Divecha said that Asia was providing "a cheap disposal op tlon for OECD countries adding. But lor a growing number of Aslan countries it means a contaminated envl ronment and untold damage to human health

The report said that plastic waste was landing tn Bangla desh. Malaysia, India. Thal land, the Philippines, China and Hong Kong where it was meked down through a pro cess that released cancer causing gases

It said that scrap metal from OECD countries was be Irrg reprocessed tonnes of

computer waste called tech no|unk to Asia where wires are stripped tor copper and computer keyboards and other waste burned producing byproducts linker) to cancer

Divecha said Greenpeaie hope<1 a meeting ot signalorv countries to rlie base conven tlon on hazardous wastes scheduled tor Geneva in March would agree to ban shipments ol all ioxii waste nialei.iaj to Asia

I think we have a verv gotxl chance ol this happening be cause 103 countries are rail trig tor' such a ban and the United Stales Hit biggest generator ot wastes has said it may supjxiri a Imii he said.