The president of the Philippines has said he will declare war against Canada if it does not take back over 100 containers of garbage dumped in the country, Filipino media has reported.

Rodrigo Duterte, who is known for making outrageous comments, issued the threat on Tuesday.

The Inquirer reported that he demanded a boat be prepared and loaded with the trash – which includes soiled diapers – and that Canada be given a week to pull it away.

If Canada does not comply, Duterte said he will “set sail” himself and dump the garbage as well as declaring war.

Photo credit: Canadian Press 

“I cannot understand why they are making us a dumpsite,” he said.

The garbage containers were shipped to Manila, the Filipino capital, in 2013 and 2014.

They were improperly labelled as plastics to be recycled.

But it was soon discovered that the containers were also stocked with kitchen trash and adult diapers.

Canada has attempted to persuade the Philippines to dispose of the garbage.