The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal is the most comprehensive global environmental treaty on hazardous and other wastes.
It has 170 member countries (“Parties”) and aims to protect human health and the environment against the adverse effects resulting from the generation, management, transboundary movements and disposal of hazardous and other wastes.
Each Party is required to introduce appropriate national or domestic legislation to prevent and punish illegal traffic in hazardous and other wastes. Illegal traffic is criminal.
Parties are expected to treat and dispose of wastes as close as possible to their place of generation and to prevent or minimize the generation of wastes at source. Strong controls have to be applied from the moment of generation of a hazardous waste to its storage, transport, treatment, reuse, recycling, recovery and final disposal.
The Basel Ban bans the shipments of hazardous wastes from developed countries to developing countries. The Basel Ban was incorporated in the Waste Disposal Ordinance in April 2006 as the Laws of Hong Kong.
Waste lead acid batteries (“WLAB”) is a hazardous waste regulated by the Basel Convention.