Lead waste residues inside Philippine Recyclers Inc, the country's leading importer of used car batteries.-- JULIUS VIDAL/GREENPEACE Since the past decade, the country has been importing used car batteries, computer and plastic scraps and other waste materials for what environmental group Greenpeace claims is 'sham recycling'.

'Exports claimed to be for recycling are actually dumped in the receiving country after minimum or zero processing,' Greenpeace campaigner Von Hernandez said.

Exports of hazardous wastes such as used batteries from developed to less developed countries are banned under the Basel Convention if recycling facilities are available in the country of origin.

The convention, which took effect in May 1992, aims to minimise the risk of transporting hazardous substances.

Although the Philippines ratified the convention and has an existing law expressly prohibiting the importing of toxic substances and nuclear wastes, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) issued an order in 1994 allowing imports of hazardous substances for recycling or reprocessing.

'It is legally sanctioned pollution,' according to Mr Hernandez. 'The government is a willing accomplice in this dirty practice.'

Under this framework, New Zealand and other Asian countries, including Singapore and Thailand, have been allowing shipments of used batteries to a recycling plant in the Philippines.

Investigations by Greenpeace have found severe lead contamination of the soil, river, sediment and vegetation near the lead-smelting plant of Philippine Recyclers Inc (PRI), the largest local importer of scrap batteries.

On a recent visit to PRI's plant in Patubig village north of Manila, Mr Hernandez said they also found mountains of lead-waste residues stockpiled openly.

'While lead is not water soluble, the likelihood of lead continuing to leach from these waste mounds - poses a serious threat to the environment, not to mention the health and well-being of nearby communities,' he said.

Greenpeace also found that most children in the community had lead levels in their blood higher than acceptable safe limits.

PRI, however, denies all the allegations and maintains that its importations of used batteries are above-board, having been authorised by both the Philippine and New Zealand governments.

'We operate our plant under environmental and quality management systems in compliance with international standards,' said PRI vice-president and general manager Irving Guerrero.

Mr Julian Amador, director of the government's Environmental Management Bureau, said the authorities were constantly monitoring recycling plants to ensure that environmentally sound practices are followed.

'We will never allow importations of waste materials for disposal or treatment. However, we allow recovery of materials that will be used as raw materials for the manufacture of products,' he said.