Vital Waste Graphics 2

OFFICIAL WASTE TRADE Official waste trade routes Describing and quantifying global trade in waste is difficult. The official figures compiled by the Basel Convention on the Control of Transbound- ary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal are a good start, but have their limitations. Reporting is based on collaboration by member states and the Convention has no means of obliging any state to do so or of checking that data is complete. At present 99 countries monitor and publicise their imports and exports of 45 types of hazardous waste and two categories of waste “requiring special consideration” – household waste and their incineration residues. (Radioactive waste is not covered by the Convention.) Of the 99 countries reporting in 2003, 62 reported on the amounts of hazardous wastes exported. In addition, 17 Parties stated that there was no export from their country. 79 countries reported on imports. Of these 79, 42 declared not to have imported any hazard- ous wastes, and 37 described the quantities. The limited availability of national reports can distort the interpretation of the official data sets.

Transboundary movements of waste among Parties to the Convention

Million tonnes

20

imports + exports

16

12

8

4

Source: Basel Convention, 2006.

0

1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003

Basel Convention data trends Looking at the Basel Convention datasets reveals several global patterns: The official trade in waste predominantly involves developed countries and official exports are not particularly directed to- wards developing countries. Although the BAN amendment that forbids trade from developed to developing countries •

(if both are Parties to the Convention) has not yet come into force, it is already implemented by the European Union. Incineration residues and lead compounds are among the most traded waste categories. Germany, Italy and France were the leading waste im- porters among Parties to the Convention in 2003.

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The Netherlands

Amounts of exchanged waste Thousand tonnes

Switzerland

Belgium

1 300

Germany

Only countries receiving or sending more than fifty thousand tonnes are shown.

1 200

Major waste exporters declared as “countries of origin” in the reporting of imports by other Parties to the Convention.

1 100

1 000

900

800

United States

700

Spain France

Austria

600

Sweden

Ireland

Norway

Russian Federation

Finland

Japan

500

400

Ukraine

300

Portugal

200

Italy

United Kingdom

Luxembourg

Denmark

100

0

Singapore