160 tons of toxic waste illegally moved from China to Vietnam

By VnExpress September 16, 2016 | 09:14 pm PT

The red mud may have been transported to Vietnam for disposal.

Vietnam has detected an alleged illegal shipment of 160 tons of red mud, a type of toxic waste from bauxite processing, at a sea port in the central province of Ha Tinh.

After checking the containers at Son Duong Port, environment authorities concluded that the sludge was shipped from China to Vietnam.

The ship carrying the mud will not be allowed to leave until the police have completed their investigation.

“We have sealed off the ship and keep it at the port on suspicion that the intention is to dump the waste into Vietnamese waters,” said Vo Ta Dinh, head of Ha Tinh Province’s natural resources and environment department.

He added that local environment authorities have yet to run a test to confirm if the waste is indeed bauxite red mud. The preliminary conclusion has been drawn based on import documents.

Waste can be sent abroad for recycling, but it is illegal to ship it out for disposal. Experts said it is highly likely that the mud has been brought into Vietnam for illegal disposal, experts said.

Red mud is a toxic byproduct of the industrial process that refines bauxite, raw aluminum ore, into alumina.

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