Garbage piling up in Antarctica

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http://www.boston.com/dailynews/285/world/Australia_unveils_plan_to_clea:.shtml

Australia unveils plan to clean up Antarctic dumps

By Associated Press, 10/12/2001 08:06

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) Australia announced a major cleanup operation at its main research base on Antarctica on Friday, saying the project should pave the way for nations to remove massive piles of garbage from the icy continent.

Federal Environment Minister Robert Hill announced an agreement between the Australian Antarctic Division and a French company to haul the waste back to Australia for disposal.

Experts believe up to 330,000 tons of waste, the legacy of decades of exploration and experimentation by more than 40 nations, is lying on and under the ice, contaminating one of the world's most pristine environments.

Hill called the agreement between Australia's Antarctic scientific research body and Vivendi, a French-based environmental services company, a commitment toward ''protecting one of the world's most precious environments.''

Under the agreement, Vivendi will provide 240 cargo containers to be filled with garbage and shipped back to Australia for disposal.

Once Australia's Casey station has been cleared of rubbish, the containers will be offered to other nations carrying out scientific research on the ice, Hill said.

Casey's tip is believed to hold up to 3,306 tons tons of garbage, including chemicals, batteries, oils and building materials dumped since 1965.

Other countries operating on Antarctica, including France and South Africa, have already launched cleanup operations at their bases.

-- Anonymous, October 12, 2001


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