New dump site for foreign garbage in Katunayake?

COLOMBO (News 1st): The Central Environmental Authority says the waste material brought to the country under the guise of mattresses from the United Kingdom, is extremely hazardous. 102 containers of garbage arrived in the island, of which 94 have been discovered as containers carrying waste material. Five of those containers have been opened. Customs said the garbage included carpets, plastic and items like polythene, larvae, dead plants, fungus and other items such as bird feathers. Director of the Chemicals & Hazardous Waste Management Unit of the Central Environmental Authority Ajith Weerasundara said the waste material brought down from the United Kingdom is hazardous and that they include garbage from hospitals. Customs said that necessary action will be taken to send back the waste to the country of origin. The Customs and the Central Environmental Authority said that waste material cannot be imported based on the Basel convention as Sri Lanka does not have disposal facilities. Speaking on the matter Chairman of the Central Environmental Authority, Isuru Devapriya said that they have informed the customs in writing to send the waste back. He assured the people that this garbage will not be dumped in the country since the Authority will not allow or agree on anything which is harmful to the country. Meanwhile, speaking to News 1st the Customs said, the waste material was imported to Sri Lanka for reprocessing activities. However, Customs added that Sri Lanka does not have the required system or the mechanism to reprocess waste material. The satellite image of the area shown above, located within the Katunayake free trade zone, shows a warehouse with garbage similar to the waste found within the 102 containers which mostly consists of used mattresses etc. According to the Customs and the Central Environmental Authority, there are no provisions to bring down garbage from foreign countries. However, it is quite clear that the garbage was brought down to the country illegally. If this is an illegal act why aren't the officials taking necessary actions on the matter? Why aren't the companies responsible for bringing down this garbage not being brought before the law? It was also revealed that the same company involved in importing the 102 containers from the UK is closely connected to the company maintaining the garbage dump inside the free trade zone at the BIA.