Waste Crime - Waste Risks: Gaps in Meeting the Global Waste Challenge

The co-mingled waste stream is a mixture of the dry recy- clables of household waste. Recycling or re-use of this mixture is only possible after extensive sorting. It is some- times traded illegally under the guise of clean or sorted plastic or paper waste, which is considered a non-haz- ardous waste stream. Inspectors have discovered ship- ments declared as plastic or paper waste, but contam- inated with other materials or composed of a mixture of waste streams mainly originating from households. Co-mingled waste is commonly exported 5 illegally as paper waste. The quality and composition of this waste, however, requires a prior notification procedure that is often not followed. The EU Waste Shipment Regulation specifically prohibits the export of household waste to non-OECD countries. Some non-OECD countries even ban the import of co-mingled waste because it is consid- ered as other waste under the Basel Convention code Y46. Co-mingled waste 5. www.letsrecycle.com (2014). Waste Management: Site Serv Ltd fined over illegal ‘commingled’ waste export. [Online]. 12/11/2014. Available from: http://www.letsrecycle.com/news/latest-news/site-serv-ltd- fined-illegal-commingled-waste-export/

Mixing or blending waste streams Mixing hazardous components with non-hazardous waste in order to avoid higher sorting or treatment costs can also be an attractive solution for unscrupulous waste handlers. In Threat Assessment 2013 on Environmental Crime in the EU, Europol describes the criminal practice of mixing low-quality petrol with toxic residues produced during illicit petrol processing. The report says that this type of crime is often investigated as fraud, rather than being pursued as environmental crime. In Scotland, environmental authorities discovered a tax-dodging tactic used by Scottish gangs. It involves mixing low-tax waste, which costs USD 3.70 a tonne to dispose of, with high-tax waste costing USD 119 a tonne as a way to avoid high treatment costs (BBC 2014). Used or Waste Lead-Acid Batteries Used lead-acid batteries (ULABs, also referred to as Spent- Lead Acid Batteries) from cars and trucks are one of the world’s most-recycled consumer products (Commission for Environmental Cooperation 2013). Waste lead-acid batteries are considered hazardous waste under the Basel Convention, which means that the Convention’s provisions pertaining to the control of their export and import apply. However, the batteries are often disguised as non-hazardous metal waste or plastic waste and are illegally exported to countries with lower treatment standards. The treatment of the ULABs is a concern and so is the improper transport of the batteries, both of which can cause damage to human health and the environment.

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