Australia’s decision to allow the chemical firm Orica to begin shipping 6100 tonnes of hazardous waste held at Botany Bay to Denmark has triggered a political row in Copenhagen.
The Danish environment minister, Karen Ellemann, who approved the importation, has been asked to appear before a parliamentary committee following Danish media reports that she was unduly pressured to accept the waste.
The Danish opposition has campaigned strongly against the shipment and the former prime minister, Nyrup Rasmussen, has said Denmark should refuse it.
Australia’s then environment minister, Peter Garrett, approved the shipment on August 18.
The hexachlorobenzene, a byproduct of solvents manufactured at Botany until 1991, is to be incinerated at 1100 degrees in burners owned by Denmark’s leading hazardous waste company, Kommunekemi. Orica has contracted Kommunekemi to handle the waste.
Detractors say Kommunekemi has only previously incinerated 35 kilograms of this type of waste, but Orica says it has destroyed large amounts of similar products.
The first shipment of 3000 tonnes of waste packed in 252 shipping containers is due to leave Port Botany in coming weeks. The exact departure date and name of the vessel are secret for security reasons, an Orica spokesman, John Fetter said.
He said it would take six months to incinerate the first shipload.
Danish media reports say it will be the first time Kommunekemi has accepted a shipment of waste from outside the European Union, aside from a single shipment sent from the Middle East.
According to reports in the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet this week Mrs Ellemann had originally opposed the importation, but changed her mind after intervention by her predecessor, Troels Lund, and Carsten Fich, the chief executive of Kommunekemi.
Ekstra Bladet quoted from an email sent to Mr Lund by Mr Fich on March 16 which it says shows she was pressured.
Mr Fetter said the Ekstra Bladet report was ”an absolute beat up”.
”There was a change of minister, it happens in countries all over the world,” Mr Fetter said.
He did not believe there was anything untoward in Mrs Ellemann’s behaviour and it was unlikely the political row would delay the departure of the ship.
Mr Fetter agreed the waste was ”a possible carcinogenic, and yes it is one of the dirty dozen [of chemicals]” but added it was ”relatively safe if you don’t eat it”.
Orica has made a provision in its accounts of $82 million to pay for the waste removal. It has also bought $270 million in additional insurance for the ship carrying the toxic waste.
