Illegal and uncontrolled waste dumps in Asian countries

Subject: Illegal and uncontrolled waste dumps in Asian countries

As China has imposed a ban on the import of various types of plastic waste, or has revoked the corresponding licences held by its importers, operators from the Union have instead started exporting such waste to other Asian countries, particularly Malaysia, Vietnam, India and Indonesia.

According to media reports, however, in those countries waste originating from EU Member States is constantly ending up at illegal and uncontrolled waste dumps and is either incinerated in the open air, releasing toxic gases harmful to health – to mention just one of the problems that this causes – or simply left lying on the ground, causing damage to plants, animals and groundwater.

The EU’s plastics strategy and higher rates of recycling were supposed to reduce the quantity of waste exported abroad. Nevertheless, the practices described above should be halted as soon as possible.

1. What scope does the Council have for prohibiting the export of waste when third countries cannot guarantee the traceability and/or proper treatment of imported waste?

2. What measures will the Council take to prevent trafficking in waste in general?

Reply

(9 July 2019)

Regulation (EC) No 1013/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishes the rules on procedures and control regimes for the shipment of waste. Article 34 of that regulation stipulates that all exports of waste from the Union to third countries destined for disposal shall be prohibited. The Commission, as guardian of the Treaties, is responsible for overseeing Member States’ application of Union law.

In addition, the Council, in its conclusions of 22 June 2018, welcomed the Commission’s Plastics Strategy and supported the Commission’s approach to make the lifecycle of products the focus in all efforts and policies in order to facilitate the transition to a circular economy.

The Council also encouraged the Member States to establish and adopt relevant measures to fully integrate a lifecycle-based approach to support the transition to a more circular economy in all relevant policies and strategies.

Furthermore, at the fourteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention which took place from 28 April to 10 May 2019, the Union and its Member States supported the adoption of the amendments to the annexes to the Basel Convention (1). These amendments (which were adopted at the meeting of the Conference of the Parties on 10 May 2019) contribute to:

— Improving controls on plastic waste exports;

— Preventing exports of plastic waste to countries lacking adequate infrastructures for effective collection and environmentally sound management of waste;

— Supporting the environmentally sound management of plastic waste;

— Reducing the risk of plastic waste finding its way into the environment; and

preventing the global environmental problem of marine litter.

⋅1∙ Council Decision (EU) 2019/638 | | ( | | )