Human remains hidden in recycling shipments
Sri Lanka to return more than 100 containers of scrap metal contaminated with biological waste
THE Government has launched an investigation after Sri Lankan authorities said they would send back more than a hundred shipping containers which appeared to contain human remains disguised as recyclable metals. Officials at the port of Colombo made the grisly discovery while investigating a strong smell emanating from 111 containers which have been arriving at the docks over the past two years.
Inside the crates, customs officials found the “extremely hazardous” materials mixed in with mattresses, plastics and clinical waste.
Defra was last night investigating reports that human organs and body parts were inside the container, but said it was yet to be approached by the Sri Lankan authorities.
“We are committed to tackling illegal waste exports, which is why individuals found to be exporting incorrectly described waste can face a two-year jail term or an unlimited fine,” a spokesman said.
“We are yet to receive a formal request from the Sri Lankan authorities, but Defra has contacted them directly to find out more information.”
“This is a well-organised racket that has been going on since 2017,” said an official at Sri Lanka’s finance ministry, adding that they would raise the issue with the British authorities.
Sri Lanka is the latest country to clamp down on criminal groups which export mislabelled waste materials. China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand have also announced a crackdown on plastic imports as they attempt to stem the tide of waste from European countries which are unable or unwilling to dispose of it themselves.
Rohan Masakorala, a Sri Lankan businessman, was identified as the importer of the containers yesterday but has denied any wrongdoing and insists no human remains were inside.
British waste disposal experts said that disguising human remains as recyclable metals would be highly lucrative as it is illegal to export anatomical waste such as human organs or body parts.
Dominic Hogg, chairman of Eunomia, a waste and recycling consultancy, said: “There is a major financial incentive to this, with hazardous material, because it was likely taken on the basis of being paid a lot of money to ensure it was disposed of correctly. You would potentially double your money if it were body parts or clinical waste.”
A spokesman for the British Metals Recycling Association said it “absolutely condemns” illegal exports of hazardous waste, which it blamed on rogue traders and criminals. “Unfortunately, due to a lack of funding, containers are generally only opened by port officials if there is intelligence to suggest an illegal shipment is being attempted. We believe this results in just one in 1,000 containers being searched,” Howard Bluck, a spokesman, said.
If the presence of British human remains in the containers is confirmed, it is feared they may have originated from NHS hospitals which are struggling to dispose of anatomical waste.
Last year, the Health Service Journal revealed that Healthcare Environment Services, a private contractor, had stockpiled human waste from 50 NHS trusts, including amputated limbs, human organs and infectious liquid.