RETURN TO SENDER ACTION
ALERT - OCTOBER 1998
IT'S MAYOR RENDELL'S
LAST CHANCE TO
DO THE RIGHT THING
BRING PHILADELPHIA'S WASTE HOME FROM HAITI
Four thousand tons of ash from a U.S. garbage incinerator are sitting in
a beach town in Haiti right now. A ship carrying this ash from the city
of Philadelphia dumped it there almost 11 years ago, claiming it was fertilizer.
The heavy metals and other toxics in the ash are blowing in the tropical
wind and being carried into the sea by heavy rains. Cadmium and lead, two
metals present in the ash, contribute to neurological damage, lung and
bone disorders, birth defects and other health problems. Samples
of adjacent soil show the toxics have migrated into the environment.
In over a decade, not even a fence or warning sign has been erected to
protect the community.
RETURN TO SENDER
An international coalition of concerned individuals, environmental organizations
and Haiti solidarity groups launched Project Return to Sender last year
to persuade Philadelphia to take responsibility for its waste illegally
dumped in Haiti. Project Return to Sender members have written letters
to Mayor Rendell, protested at Philadelphia's City Hall and at the ash
pile in Gonaives, and taken other actions to encourage Philadelphia to
contribute the funds necessary to clean up their mess in Haiti. Information
about Project Return to Sender is available on the web at www.essential.org/action/return
We won't know the final cost of the clean up project until the work
is underway, because we do not know how much of the original ash has blown
into the sea and how much remains on Haitian soil. The company involved
in the original dumping has agreed to contribute over $200,000, the bulk
of the funds needed to clean the ash. Last May, after public pressure from
people in Philadelphia and elsewhere, Mayor Ed Rendell did agree to
contribute $50,000 towards the clean up effort. While we appreciate this
token contribution, it does not cover the complete cost of cleaning the
ash and bringing it home for legal disposal. We are now calling on Philadelphia
to contribute whatever funds are necessary to take back the ash, an additional
amount likely to be around $75,000 - $125,000.
The Government of Haiti is so committed to finally getting rid of this
toxic threat that it is negotiating with a U.S. company to clean the beach
and return the ash to the U.S. The clean up operation is scheduled to begin
in October 1998. If Philadelphia does not contribute the final funds, the
cash-strapped Government of Haiti will have to cover the remaining costs,
spending its scarce resources to clean U.S. waste from its shores. In a
country with a per capita income of less than one dollar a day, it is an
outrage that the Government is forced to use its money to clean up Philadelphia's
waste rather than to fund much needed education, health care and environmental
programs.
Project Return to Sender members call on Philadelphia to bring home the
waste because:
-
This waste is from Philadelphia. The people in Philadelphia generated it
by producing and burning municipal garbage. It is Philadelphia's responsibility
to ensure that its municipal waste is handled safely and legally. The solution
to Philadelphia's waste problem is waste reduction and recycling - not
dumping waste on Third World countries.
-
Philadelphia never paid for the disposal of the waste 11 years ago. According
to documents obtained by Greenpeace, the City saved over $600,000 11 years
ago when the waste was dumped in Haiti. The contribution Philadelphia now
needs to make to finally resolve this issue is a fraction of that amount.
-
Philadelphia is doing well financially and had a huge budget surplus last
year. The contribution we are now seeking from Philadelphia is less than
0.002 percent of its annual budget - a small price to clean Haiti's beach
and Philadelphia's international image!
ACT NOW - TIME IS RUNNING OUT!
Please write to Mayor Ed Rendell to ask Philadelphia to contribute
the remaining funds needed to bring the ash home. Mention the points above.
Please ask him to act fast.
IF MAYOR RENDELL DOESN'T ACT NOW, IT WILL BE TOO LATE FOR PHILADELPHIA
TO DO THE RIGHT THING.
Write or call today. If you're too busy to write a full letter, just
send a postcard. The important thing is that Mayor Rendell hear from you
as soon as possible.
Mayor Ed Rendell
City Hall Room 202
Philadelphia, PA 19102
USA |
Phone: 215-686-1776
and 215-686-2181 |
For more information, contact
Project Return to Sender
c/o Essential Action,
P.O. Box 19405
Washington, D.C. 20036
email: [email protected]
Project
Return to Sender