Civil society activists from the port city of Sousse have rallied in front of the Italian Embassy in Tunis to protest and demand the repatriation to Italy of 282 containers of Italian waste still blocked at the port of Sousse.
This came after 600 containers of hazardous and toxic waste destined for Tunisia have been blocked by the Italian customs authorities.
The activists protested by carrying garbage bags loaded with bouquets of flowers and chanted slogans such as Tunisia is not the trash of Italy and that the case represents a “crime against the Tunisian people
Majdi ben Ghazala, a member of the Sousse municipal council called on Tunisian authorities to show more determination and to have the waste returned.
The activists also criticized the negligence of the authorities in both countries and the corruption that is rampant in this area.
The scandal led to the prosecution of the port’s head of customs and the resignation of the country’s environment minister while eight people have been arrested and jailed over the matter.
During the summer of 2020, customs had discovered these household waste whose export is prohibited under Tunisian law – presented administratively by the importing company as ‘harmless’ plastic waste.
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