By Chiu Yu-Tzu

The Formosa Plastics Group (FPG) has reportedly contacted waste handlers in the US over the possibility of shipping a controversial load of mercury-tainted waste there, sparking anger among environmental activists and state government officials in the US.

It was reported in the US that Idaho-based American Ecology Corp was proposing to ship FPG's mercury-laden sludge from Taiwan into the US through port facilities at either Coos Bay, Oregon, or Los Angeles.

The concrete-like scrap, to be sealed in 50-gallon drums packed in shipping containers, would then be offloaded and trucked to southern Nevada, according to American Ecology vice president Steve Romano.

US Ecology, a subsidiary of American Ecology Corp, has reportedly been asking around at port facilities in Coos Bay to see if workers would be willing to handle the load of 18,000 sealed 50-gallon drums of mercury-contaminated waste.

However, it was reported on March 18 that Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber had told an Idaho environmental company to give up the plan, which might have to use a port in Oregon.

Kitzhaber noted that an attempt to dispose of the waste in Cambodia failed in 1998, and a proposal to bring it through California in 1999 also met with strong opposition.

"This waste should be managed in Taiwan," Kitzhaber said.

"Apparently, the only reason to use an Oregon port is to avoid negative publicity and protests that could occur at California ports," Kitzhaber said.

Environmentalists in the US said that the waste handler wanted to ship the waste in through Oregon as they believed that it would encounter less trouble with unions there.

Activists from the Basel Action Network (BAN), an environmental group that monitors the global toxic waste trade, told the Taipei Times yesterday that FPG should be condemned for its plan.

The 4,600 tons of toxic waste produced by FPG were dumped in Cambodia illegally in 1998.

The waste was subsequently shipped back to Kaohsiung last April after being discovered by the Cambodian government.

There had been plans to ship the waste on to the US and France last year for proper disposal, but the transfers were held up by problems in identifying the components in the waste -- a procedure which is essential for determining how best to dispose of it -- and because of protests from environmentalists.

However, part of a highly controversial cargo of mercury-tainted waste was shipped to Rotterdam in December last year.

Activists from BAN and Greenpeace in Europe told the Taipei Times that the containers in Rotterdam would be sent to an incinerator nearby.

"Incineration is highly inappropriate for mercury waste as mercury cannot be destroyed by incineration but rather becomes volatilized and much more difficult to recover," Jim Puckett of BAN said.

"Taiwan simply expends great resources to protect its citizens from FPG waste. Where is the Taiwan EPA in all of this?" Puckett asked, adding that the Taiwan EPA should have told FPG not to export the waste.