Vietnam: Abandoned plastic wastes imports pile up at City ports

Following China’s ban on import of plastic wastes, a lot of them are coming instead to Việt Nam, but with consignees failing to claim shipments, the wastes are piling up at ports including in HCM City. As of late May 389 containers arriving in 6,801 consignments are lying in ports for more than 90 days without being claimed by their owners, a customs official told Người lao động (The labourer) newspaper. According to a Ministry of Finance circular, goods left unclaimed for more than 90 days at ports could be seized and sold. Cát Lái Port in District 2 has 307 containers and 448 parcels while Tân Sơn Nhất international airport and the express customs branch have 1,949 and 4,384 parcels. A customs official at Cát Lái Port said an increasing number of consignments have been piling up at ports for more than 90 days since the beginning of this year. The reason was China’s ban on import of plastic scrap from the EU, the US and Japan this year, who are now sending it to Southeast Asian countries, including Việt Nam, he said. But related agencies impose restrictions on import of wastes, meaning customs authorities are unable to process their entry, he said. Goods are also stuck at ports because consignees do not claim them.