Hoping to reduce plastic pollution in the environment, members of a high-level meeting of the United Nations on May 10 decided to include plastic waste in a treaty regulating the trade in hazardous waste.
The changes to the Basel Convention, which were pushed by Norway and adopted by the 187-nation body, create a legally binding and potentially far-reaching framework that will impose stricter controls on the purchase and sale of plastic waste and waste. .
At a press conference held at the end of the meeting in Geneva, US officials also took note of the large impulse of petitions on social media urging the Basel negotiators to act on plastic waste.
“Plastic waste is recognized as one of the world’s most pressing environmental problems, and the fact that this week nearly 1 million people around the world signed a petition urging Parties to the Basel Convention to take action here in Geneva … it’s a sign that public awareness and desire for action are high, “said Rolph Payet, executive secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, a UN agency.
The decision means that exporters of plastic waste will have to obtain a permit from the country that receives contaminated, mixed or non-recyclable plastics, a process known as prior informed consent, according to a statement from a group of environmental non-governmental organizations that attended the meeting. They say the decision will give developing countries a better tool to control the environmental problems of plastics.
The decision follows individual country restrictions, such as China’s ban on many types of plastic scrap imports in 2018.
“Today’s decision demonstrates that countries are finally catching up to the urgency and scale of the plastic pollution problem and shows what ambitious international leadership looks like,” said David Azoulay, director of environmental health at the Center for International Environmental Law. Washington-based environment.
“Plastic pollution in general and plastic waste in particular remain a major threat to people and the planet, but the Basel Convention decision encourages us to look at the future bold decisions that will be necessary to tackle plastic pollution at its roots. ., starting with the reduction of production, “said Azoulay.
But the plastics industry had argued that, while well-intentioned, some of the Basel amendments being considered during the lengthy meetings, which began on April 29 and ended on May 10, would have “significant unintended consequences.”
The World Plastics Council warned in a statement on May 6 that overly strict rules could inhibit trade in high-value recycled plastic such as PET bottles or slow the development of new technologies such as chemical recycling.
“Given that, in practice, many countries will not have enough time to increase their domestic recycling infrastructure, or improve their ability to manage new and potentially diverse plastic waste streams under the Convention’s prior notification and consent requirements, the proposed in its current form could hamper efforts to address the plastic waste challenge, “said WPC.
“So, in effect, the amendment may exacerbate the many problems that arise from inadequate municipal waste management infrastructure, and potentially result in increased plastic leaks into the environment,” he said.
Environmental groups criticized what they said was resistance to including plastic waste in the Basel treaty, coming from the US government and US business groups like the American Chemistry Council.
But WPC, which includes ACC, said it recognized the challenges some countries face with plastic waste and said the Basel discussions could lead to positive actions, such as increased investment.
WPC said the plastics industry was working on solutions, such as the Alliance to Eliminate $ 1.5 Billion Plastic Waste.
“The WPC recognizes and agrees that some countries lack the infrastructure to properly manage used plastic, which could have impacts on the environment and health,” he said. “We also agree that an update to the waste listings for plastics under the Basel Convention could encourage investments in recycling to enable a more local circular economy.”
WPC is comprised of CEOs from more than 20 of the world’s largest plastic resin manufacturers, along with national and regional trade associations, including ACC and PlasticsEurope.
A Basel statement said the goal of the new rules is to make the plastic waste trade more transparent and better regulated, and to ensure that the management of plastic waste is safer for human health and the environment.
Environmental groups said that because the United States is not a signatory to the Basel Convention, it will be banned from trading plastic waste with developing countries that are parties to Basel but not part of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
