BIR Welcomes Shipment Control Harmonization

The Bureau of International Recycling welcomed the adoption by the OECD Council of the Decision “C(2001)107 Revision of Decision C(92)39 Final on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Wastes Destined for Recovery Operations” on 14^th June 2001.

BIR agrees that this decision meets its intention to streamline the OECD control system, be more economically efficient and environmentally safe, and enhance harmonisation with the Basel Convention.

Over the last two years, BIR has contributed to the OECD Working Group on Waste Management Policy regarding their harmonisation work on intra-OECD shipments of waste under the umbrella of Business and Industry Advisory Council to the OECD.

The major points of benefit for the recycling industry are the following:

The definition for ‘a mixture of wastes’ is new and specifies this as ‘a waste that results from an intentional or unintentional mixing of two or more different wastes’. It goes further by stating that ‘a single shipment of wastes, consisting of two or more wastes, where each waste is separated, is not a mixture of wastes.’

The applicable control procedure for mixtures of green wastes, for which no individual entry exists, shall now be ‘green’. The condition for this is that the composition of this mixture does not impair its environmentally sound recovery. On the other hand, a mixture of green waste and more than a minimal amount of amber waste, or a mixture of amber wastes, will be subjected to the amber control procedure, under the condition that the composition of the mixture does not impair its environmentally sound recovery.

Helpfully, the decision proposes that member countries may exempt from the notification procedure samples of up to 25 kg for laboratory analysis that are appropriately packaged and labeled.

The harmonisation is accomplished by replacing the OECD green, amber and red waste lists by the Basel Convention Annexes. Annex IX becomes the Decision’s Appendix 3 Part I, now to be subjected to green controls; Annexes VIII and II become the Decision’s Appendix 4 Part I, now to be subjected to amber controls. The Decision retains the possibility for different controls in exceptional cases. Whilst it eliminates the OECD review mechanism, it puts any review of lists into the single forum of the Basel Convention Technical Working Group.

Ross Bartley, BIR Environmental & Technical Director, said, “This new decision simplifies the system, shows solid common sense, and at the same time supports sustainable development. It will lead to a measurable improvement in the practical application of shipments legislation.”