Legislation for Control of Hazardous Chemicals
The Hazardous Chemicals Control Ordinance (HCCO) (Cap. 595) came into force on 1 April 2008. The ordinance provides for the regulation of the import, export, manufacture and use of non-pesticide hazardous chemicals through a permit system. These chemicals are covered by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants and the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade.
Under HCCO, anyone wishing to import, export, manufacture or use any scheduled chemicals subject to control needs to apply for a permit, which is generally valid for 12 months, from EPD. In addition, for every shipment of scheduled chemical(s) entering or leaving Hong Kong, an import/export licence is also required under the Import and Export Ordinance (Cap. 60), to be issued by EPD under delegation from the Trade and Industry Department.
Legislation for Control of Hazardous Chemicals in Effect as at 1 April 2008
| Legislation | Description of Control |
|
|---|---|---|
| Hazardous Chemicals Control Ordinance | Control, through a permit system, the import, export, manufacture and use of non-pesticide hazardous chemicals that have potentially harmful or adverse effects on human health or the environment. |
|
| Hazardous Chemicals Control (General) Regulation |
Set out the requirements relating to permit applications made under the Ordinance. |
|
| Hazardous Chemicals Control (Fee) Regulation | Prescribe the application fees that are payable for applications made under the Ordinance. |
Details of the above Ordinance and Regulations can be found in the "Bilingual Laws Information System" web site of the Department of Justice at http://www.legislation.gov.hk/.
