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Basel Ban Amendment Guide

On the 5th of December 2019, the Basel Ban Amendment became international law. The Ban Amendment, adopted by the parties to the Basel Convention in 1995, prohibits the export of hazardous wastes from member states of the European Union, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and Liechtenstein to all other countries.

IPEN & BAN have produced a Basel Ban Amendment Guide, covering the implications and next steps for countries, public interest groups, and other stakeholders with the common goal to stop international hazardous waste dumping.

Document: The Entry Into Force of the Basel Ban Amendment - A Guide to Implications and Next Steps

• English (PDF)

• Spanish (PDF)

• Russian (PDF)

• French (PDF)

Frequently Asked Questions

• Frequently Asked Questions About the New e-Waste

New e-Waste Guideline

• The Responsible Guideline

Information/Fact Sheets/Comments

• INC-5 Chair's Non-Paper as it Applies to Exports of Plastic Waste -- Annotated by Basel Action Network (BAN)

• BAN and IPEN Views of Basel COP14

• Norwegian Proposal to Amend the Annexes to the Basel Convention

Interventions

• 2024 Interventions

  • BAN Interventiuon on the e-Waste Amendments

  • BAN Intervention on e-Waste Technical Guidelines

  • BAN Plastic Waste Amendments Intervention

• 2019 Interventions

  • BAN Intervention on the Technical Guideline on Electronic Waste

  • BAN Intervention Regarding Basel Compliance

Delegate Alerts:

• 2024 Delegate Alerts

  • Once Again Basel Must Stand Firm Against Efforts to Remove Basel Competency over Waste Ships

• 2023 Delegate Alerts

  • Plastic Pollution: Focus Upstream at INC-2

  • Beware Improper Article 11 Agreements Contradicting the Basel Convention

• 2022 Delegate Alerts

  • Establishing "Safe Levels" for Hazardous Wastes Must be Rejected

    • English

    • Spanish

  • Brazil Must Urgently Provide Safe Haven for Aircraft Carrier São Paulo

    • English

    • Español

    • French

  • Let's Make the Basel Plastic Guidelines Environmentally Sound

    • English

    • Español

    • French

  • Let's Fix the Basel e-Waste Guidelines Once and for All

  • Plastic Waste Trade Still Out of Control

    • English

    • Español

  • The Swiss-Ghana Amendment: A Step Towards Closing the Last e-Waste Dumping Pathways

  • Basel Plastic Waste Trade Violations Rampant One Year After Amendments Entry into Force

• 2020 Delegate Alerts

  • EU Contradicts Itself, Proposes to Use Article 11 to Circumvent the Basel Ban Amendment

  • Two Important NGO Side Events at OEWG12

  • Swiss/Ghanaian e-Waste Proposal: Fails to Solve the Real e-Waste Problem

    • Proposition suisse / ghanéenne sur les déchets électroniques: Elle ne parvient pas à résoudre le véritable problème des déchets électroniques (Français)

    • La Propuesta Suizo-Ghaniana Sobre Los Desechos Electrónicos: No Resuelve el Problema Real de los Desechos Electrónicos (Español)

  • For the Third Time Africa Calls for Postponement of OEWG12

    • Pour la troisième fois, l'Afrique appelle au report de l'OEWG12 (Français)

    • Por tercera vez, África solicita el aplazamiento del GTCA12 (Español)

  • OEWG12: The Questions that Remain

    • Grupo de Trabajo 12: Las Preguntas Que Quedan (Español)

    • Groupe de Travail 12: Les questions qui subsistent (Français)

  • Basel Secretariat Plan to Hold OEWG 12 Electronically: Not a Good Idea

    • El plan de la Secretaría del Convenio de Basilea de realizar la reunión OEWG 12 electrónicamente: no es una buena idea (Español)

    • Le Secrétariat de la Convention de Bâle prévoit d'organiser le GTCNL 12 électroniquement: pas une bonne idée (Français)

  1. 2020 Action Alerts

     • Crowd Sourcing A COVID-19 Relief Fund to Help Bangladesh Shipbreaking Workers

Documents and Reports

• Misuse of the Basel Convention Article 11 to Avoid Compliance With New Plastic Waste Controls

• Contradiction in Terms: European Union Must Align Its Waste Ship Exports With International Law and Green Deal

• Dishonorable Disposal - The Case Against Dumping U.S. Naval Vessels at Sea

• The Norwegian Amendments / Summary of Implications for Recyclers

• R2 Non-Compliance by Design

Recent Basel Convention Plastic Waste Amendments

• BC-14/12: Amendments to Annexes II, VIII and IX to the Basel Convention

Recent Documents

• Submission to OECD's EPOC on Proposal on e-Waste Trade

• BAN Submission Additives and Cured Resins Fluorinated Polymers

• The Norwegian Amendments / Summary of Implications for Recyclers

• BAN/IPEN - The Entry Into Force of the Basel Ban Amendment - A Guide to Implications and Next Steps

  • La Entrada en Vigor de la Enmienda de Prohibición del Convenio de Basilea: Implicaciones y Próximos Alcances (Español)

  • Вступление В Силу Поправки О Запрете К Базельской Конвенции (Россия)

Webinars

• Webinar: The Entry into Force of the Basel Ban Amendment: History and Implications

EU Waste Shipment Regulation Revision Documents

• Coalition Comments on the Revision of the Waste Shipment Regulation - July 30, 2020

• BAN Comments on the Public Consultation on the Revision of the European Union Waste Shipment Regulation - July 30, 2020

• NGO Response to informal call for comments on the Draft Commission Delegated Regulation to implement recent changes to the Basel Convention - May 25, 2020

In the News

• The Verge - The dark side of electronic waste recycling, video and article.

• After Dump, What Happens to Electronic Waste? BAN's Jim Puckett on NPR's Fresh Air (article here)

• 60 Minutes episode, The Wasteland

Documentaries

• e-Stewardship: Taking Responsibility in the Information Age documentary

• The Digital Dump: Exporting Re-use and Abuse to Africa documentary and report

• Exporting Harm: The High Tech Trashing of Asia documentary and report

Recommended Readings

• Exporting Deception: The Disturbing Trend of Waste Trade Denial article in E-Scrap News

• The Story of Stuff: How our Obsession with Stuff Is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health - and a Vision for Change book by Annie Leonard

• High Tech Trash: Digital Devices, Hidden Toxics, and Human Health book by Elizabeth Grossman

• Challenging the Chip: Labor Rights and Environmental Justice in the Global Electronics Industry book edited by Ted Smith et al.

• "Away is a Place" essay by Jim Puckett in Permanent Error by Pieter Hugo

If there is information you’re unable to locate here, or if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us - we would love to hear from you!