Garbage-hauling ship arrives in Canada after journey from Philippines

VANCOUVER — A ship carrying an infamous load of Canadian trash that had been rotting in the Philippines since as far back as 2013 has arrived at a port south of Vancouver.

The Anna Maersk, carrying 69 containers of Canadian garbage and e-waste, docked at Deltaport near the Tsawwassen ferry terminal just after 7 a.m. on Saturday.

Authorities say the containers will be unloaded and held there before being moved to an incineration facility in Burnaby, B.C.

The Canadian garbage arrived in the Philippines in 2013 and 2014, falsely labelled as plastics for recycling.

Inspections later revealed that much of what was inside the containers was regular trash, including dirty diapers, kitchen waste and electronic items.

The garbage set off a political row between the two countries, culminating in a threat by Philippine President Rodriogo Duterte to send it back to Canada himself.

“Prepare a grand reception,” he said then. “Eat it if you want to.”

Canada missed the president’s May 15 deadline to remove the garbage and Duterte recalled the Philippines’ ambassador and consuls from Canada.

The garbage left June 1 and was transferred onto the Anna Maersk on June 8 in Taiwan for the voyage across the Pacific Ocean.

The cost to Canada is $1.14 million for shipping and another $375,000 for the garbage to be burned in the Metro Vancouver incinerator.

The Canadian Press