Environmental chief says Brazil is not world dumping ground as food, household and medical refuse 'repatriated' to UK

This article is more than 11 years old

This article is more than 11 years old

More than 1,400 tonnes of potentially hazardous waste, including nappies, condoms, syringes and bags of blood, will be returned to Britain from Brazil as UK authorities investigate whether they were illegally exported.

The Environment Agency today said plans were being made to bring back the rubbish which is thought to have been transported from Felixstowe to three Brazilian ports.

Five Brazilian companies which imported waste between February and May have already been fined, although they said they thought they were receiving plastic for recycling.

The head of Brazil's environment agency, Roberto Massias, last week called for "repatriation of this garbage", saying his country was not "a rubbish dump of the world".

The UK agency's director of waste, Liz Parks, told the BBC that arrangements were being made to bring back the waste, although it could take a number of weeks.

She also warned that British courts took the dumping of hazardous waste seriously. "We do prosecute people. We've had a number of successful prosecutions in recent years. And in fact in the crown court, people can be fined unlimited amounts and prison sentences are imposed."

Brazil has maintained that the cargo, which also included domestic waste, such as food and cleaning product containers, broke an international convention on movement of hazardous waste to which both countries are signatories.

A spokewoman for the UK agency said this country had taken a "strong global lead" in moves to protect the enviroment and human health.

"Where the Environment Agency detects or is made aware of the illegal export of waste, it works with all relevant partner authorities to ensure the environmentally sound management of any illegal shipments – including the poossible return of wastes to the UK.

"If any company is found to have contravened the strict controls on the export of waste as set out by the Basel convention, the Environment Agency will not hesitate to take enforcement action."