Kochi: Embarrassed over recent seizure of municipal waste here shipped from the United States, the visiting US Secretary of Health and Human Services, Michael Leavitt said today that the US will not view India as dumping ground for its waste products.

Repsonding to queries from the media on the seizure of three containers of waste in October last year, Leavitt said he was not aware of the specific shipments. "There is so much now. It is impossible to inspect everything. So we are changing our strategy," he said without elaborating.

Three containers carrying 60 tonnes of municipal waste, including rotten food, plastic, paper and computer peripherals, were seized at the Kochi port in the first week of October.

Following protests from various quarters, the containers were sent back to the US after two weeks.

Source : PTI