Britain probes Brazil garbage shipments

SAO PAULO, July 18 (UPI) -- The British government has launched a probe into how 1,400 tons of its garbage ended up in Brazil in apparent violation of international treaties.

The investigation was triggered by complaints from the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources reported Saturday.

The broadcaster said Brazil has named two companies as suspects in the case, in which Brazilian officials have demanded that the diapers, condoms, syringes and bags of blood found in about 90 shipping containers be returned to Britain. The latest batch of waste shipments were reportedly found this week in Sao Paulo.

The names of many well-known British supermarkets were found on the waste products and newspapers from the country were also present in the foul-smelling piles, the BBC reported.

The British Embassy in Brazil says it is looking into the garbage exports and has promised it would "not hesitate to act" if it was found that a British company had violated the treaty governing the movement of hazardous waste -- the Basel Convention.