Control on Import and Export of Waste

The Control Scheme

The Basel Convention

The increased global environmental concerns had led to the conclusion of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal (the Basel Convention) in 1989. The Basel Convention aims to protect public health and the environment against the adverse effects of hazardous waste by : (a) minimizing waste generation and movements and (b) introducing a system of advanced notification and consent for transboundary movements of waste. It requires the Convention parties to implement domestic control to prevent illegal waste traffic through local enforcement measures. It also promotes cooperation amongst Convention parties to achieve environmentally sound management of waste and prevention of illegal traffic.

China is a party to the Basel Convention. The Convention is applicable to Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR). The Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department (EPD) is designated as the competent authority under the Convention to enforce the control on import, export and transit of hazardous waste in the Hong Kong SAR.

Basel Ban

Having recognized that the shipments of hazardous wastes from developed countries to developing countries would constitute a high risk of not having the waste managed in an environmentally sound manner, the parties to the Basel Convention adopted in the 3rd Conference of Parties, an amendment to the Basel Convention to ban the shipments of hazardous wastes from developed countries to developing countries (Basel Ban).

In light of the above decision, EPD has ceased issuing import permit for controlled waste shipments from the banned countries since 1998. The arrangement was incorporated in the Waste Disposal Ordinance in April 2006 as the Laws of Hong Kong.