B3 is short for Bahan Berbahaya dan Beracun - hazardous and toxic materials - and includes waste which can directly or indirectly damage or pollute the environment and endanger human health, as well as medical waste, chemicals and materials that could be explosive, reactive, infectious or corrosive. It is barred from entry to Indonesia. Loading Narko said that "yesterday it was decided that the eight containers will be re-exported" because the contents of the eight containers were "contaminated with B3". Environmental groups in Indonesia raised the alarm about plastic waste being sent inside containers of paper waste more than a month ago. On Wednesday, The Age and Sydney Morning Herald revealed that a container of Australian plastic waste sent from Melbourne was one of 65 containers that had been impounded by Indonesian authorities in the port of Batam, an Indonesian city that borders Singapore.

Visy, which is owned by Australia's richest man, Anthony Pratt, was the exporter of the container. Visy did not reply to multiple requests for comment on whether it knew if there was contaminated plastic in the container, whether it had inspected the plastic, if it was fit for shipping, whether it was aware the container may breach Indonesian law and whether it would accept the container when it was sent back. On its website, the company claims that sustainability and the environment are "fundamental to everything we do", adding: "at Visy, we see it as more than that. For us, it's also about how we affect the world around us, and all the people who live in it." A container of Australian plastic waste impounded at the port of Batam, Indonesia. Credit:Amilia Rosa The company specialises in recycling, packaging and paper and has more than 5000 employees in Australia, thousands more in the United States, and has expanded into countries in south-east Asia including Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand. The head of Batam's Customs office, Susila Brata, said on Tuesday the Australian container was packed with plastic waste that had been classified as B3, or toxic, under Indonesian law.

Photos of the interior of the shipping container showed Omo and Dynamo containers, Western Star butter, Greek Yoghurt and Streets Blue Ribbon tubs, Morning Fresh cleaning liquid, building products such as silicon sealant and dozens of car engine oil bottles. There was also a recycling bin from the Melton City Council, with which Visy has a collection contract. A Melton recycling bin in the container exported by Visy to Indonesia. Credit:Amilia Rosa The General Manager Planning and Development for the City of Melton, Luke Shannon, said the council was "aware that some of the City of Melton’s plastic recycling is sent overseas by our contractor, Visy". “We know that the recycling industry has limited capacity to process recyclable plastic materials in Australia. It is common practice that some of these materials are sent overseas so that they can be recycled into new products instead of ending up in landfill," he said.

If damaged, kerbside collection bins themselves were "suitable for recycling," he said. Deakin University hazardous materials management expert Dr Trevor Thornton said the condition of the plastics in the shipping container depicted in the photographs was “standard” for the quality that was typically exported from Australia to recyclers in Asia. Maggots on an item in the container from Australia. Credit:Amilia Rosa “It appears to be household plastics that you’d see picked up from the kerbside bins, sorted and then baled for transport. For the export market, they are not washed so there’s always some contamination overall in the stock from residual liquids and materials in the containers,” he said. Dr Thornton said that, in the past, some shipments had arrived so contaminated that they were "illegally dumped or burned by those who were supposed to be recycling them because they were too low quality to be used.”

“But the market and standards have changed. What was common or acceptable, may no longer meet current standards," he said. "It could very well be that Indonesian authorities, by blocking acceptance of these containers, are sending a message that they will no longer tolerate these kinds of low quality, contaminated materials arriving there.” Australia's Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management Trevor Evans said that under Australian law a permit is required for the export of controlled wastes, which includes recyclable plastics that are not sorted to relevant standards, or which have significant contamination. Containers on the port at Batam, Indonesia. Credit:Amilia Rosa "If a company has exported such material from Australia without a permit, it would be in breach of Australian law, and we would work cooperatively with the receiving country to ensure this issue is addressed. This may include accepting the return of the material to Australia," he said. "If companies are breaching the rules ... then they are letting their industry and all Australians down, and there needs to be appropriate compliance and enforcement ... the Government is seeking further information from Indonesian authorities regarding any concerns they have."

The member of the regional parliament for Batam, Budi Mardiyanto, said "Australia has to take responsibility. They have to take it back". Loading Indonesian authorities plan to ship the containers of waste from the cities of Batam and Surabaya back to Australia. Malaysia also plans to send plastic waste to Australia in the coming weeks. The crisis in household recycling is not limited to Australia, but has affected wealthy nations around the world. It was triggered by China's decision to stop the importation of plastic waste for recycling in January 2018, which effectively turned the global market for plastic waste upside down.