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LESSON 2 | What are the Plastic Waste Amendments?

This lesson will get you acquainted with the Plastic Waste Amendments, adopted by decision BC-
14/12 in 2019. It explains the implications of the Plastic Waste Amendments, in particular regarding
the classification of plastic waste and related obligations in terms of the prior informed consent (PIC)
procedure.

Moreover, this lesson provides a brief overview of other relevant actions taken by the COP, notably
decision BC-14/13 - also adopted at the 14th meeting in 2019 - pursuant to which, among others,
the Basel Convention Plastic Waste Partnership (PWP) was established.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:

1. Explain which types of plastic waste 3. Name further actions on plastic waste
may or may not be subject to the taken by the COP and Parties.
PIC procedure, taking into account
Questions are posed throughout the text for you
national definitions;
to check own understanding. The questions are
2. Identify measures at the national level in various formats, from open (reflection points)
to implement the key provisions and to multiple choice, true/false, ranking, and/or
mechanisms of the Basel Convention matching. The answers can be consulted at the
to the Plastic Waste Amendments; and end of the journal.

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WHAT ARE the Plastic Waste Amendments to the Basel Convention?

Following a proposal by Norway in June 2018 ANNEX II

to amend the Basel Convention, the landmark
decision BC-14/12 on the Plastic Waste
Annex II lists categories of wastes requiring
Amendments was unanimously adopted by the
special consideration. The new entry Y48 covers
Parties in May 2019 at the 14th COP to the Basel
all plastic waste, including mixtures of plastic
Convention. The amendments became effective
waste, except for plastic waste that is hazardous
as of 1 January 2021. The amendments aim to
(which falls under Annex VIII) or presumed to
enhance the control of transboundary movement
not be hazardous (which falls under Annex IX).
of plastic waste and clarify the scope of the Basel
Plastic waste contained in Annex II is subject to
Convention as it applies to such waste.
the PIC procedure.
They do not imply a ban on the import, transit or
export of plastic waste, but rather a clarification
of when and how the Convention applies to
ANNEX VIII
such waste. Specifically, the Plastic Waste
Amendments introduced the following new Annex VIII lists wastes that are characterized
categories: as hazardous and therefore subject to the
PIC procedure. The new entry A3210 covers
hazardous plastic waste.

ANNEX IX

Annex IX lists wastes that are not considered

hazardous. The new entry B3011 covers plastic
waste that is not hazardous and therefore
not subject to the PIC procedure, provided
the waste is destined for recycling in an
environmentally sound manner and almost free
from contamination and other types of wastes.

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WHAT BENEFITS can be expected from the Plastic Waste Amendments?

The Amendments are expected to have a range

of positive impacts across the three pillars
of the Basel Convention, which are likely to
manifest gradually, increasing in strength over
time. They can be summarised as follows:

1. Improved control of transboundary

movements

By establishing a clear legally binding framework

for the global trade in plastic waste, the Plastic
Waste Amendments create the conditions for
the global trade in plastic waste to become more
transparent and better regulated to protect
human health and the environment.

2. Increased environmentally sound

management

By ensuring that the provisions on ESM apply

to specified categories of plastic waste, it is
anticipated that the Amendments provide
a powerful incentive to strengthen national
infrastructures for collection, recycling and final
disposal of plastic waste.

3. Increased waste prevention and

minimization

By bringing the listed types of plastic waste

under the provisions relating to waste prevention
and minimization, the Amendments will help
create jobs and economic opportunities, not least
by incentivizing innovation, such as in the design
of alternatives to plastic and in the phasing out
of toxic additives.

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Q1: The amendments aim to enhance the Q3: Match the new entries with the
control of transboundary movement of corresponding Annexes:
plastic waste and clarify the scope of the
1. Y48
Basel Convention as it applies to such waste,
through the ban on the import, transit or 2. A3210
export of plastic waste. 3. B3011
____ True or False?
A. Annex VIII
B. Annex IX
Q2: Match the waste categories with the
corresponding annexes: C. Annex II

1. Mixtures of plastic waste, except

for plastic waste that is hazardous, Q4: What are the expected positive
subject to PIC. impacts across the three pillars of the Basel
Convention, as a result of the implementation
2. Wastes that are characterized as
of the Amendments?
hazardous and therefore subject to
the PIC procedure. □ Improved control of transboundary movements
3. Wastes that are not considered □ Increased environmentally sound management
hazardous and not subject to the PIC
□ Increased export of plastic waste
procedure.
□ Increased waste prevention and minimization
A. ANNEX IX
B. ANNEX II
C. ANNEX VIII

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WHAT FURTHER actions to address plastic waste were adopted by the COP?

In addition to the Plastic Waste Amendments,

the COP:

▪ Decided to consider, via the Open-ended

Working Group, whether, how and when
the COP should assess the effectiveness of
the measures taken under the Convention
to address plastic waste and which further
activities could possibly be conducted
under the Convention;

▪ Requested the expert working group

on the review of Annexes to consider
whether any additional constituents or
characteristics in relation to plastic waste
should be added to Annex I or III to the
Convention;

▪ Decided to update the technical guidelines

for the identification and environmentally
sound management of plastic waste
and for their disposal (more in lesson 5,
Module 2); and

▪ Welcomed the proposal to establish a

Basel Convention partnership on plastic
waste and decided to establish a working
group of the Partnership (the so-called
‘Plastic Waste Partnership’, covered in
more detail below).

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COP 14 also adopted decision BC-14/13 on address plastic waste and to possible further
‘Further actions to address plastic waste under activities that could be conducted under the
the Basel Convention’. Decision BC-14/13 Convention. Among such potential further
further called upon Parties to: activities, the information document lists, for
example the following:
▪ make further efforts to prevent and
minimize the generation of plastic ▪ Invite Parties to transmit information on
waste, for example, by increasing the the generation and management of plastic
durability, reusability and recyclability of waste and the transboundary movement
plastic products. of plastic waste not subject to the PIC
▪ promote the environmentally sound procedure.
and efficient management of plastic ▪ Request the Secretariat to propose
waste, for example, by improving the options towards the establishment of a
collection, transport, treatment and global monitoring programme.
recycling of plastic waste, and by creating ▪ Establish an expert group to develop
markets for recycled materials made from practical guidance for the implementation
plastic waste. of the Basel Convention provisions
▪ ensure that transboundary movement of relevant to plastics and microplastics.
plastic waste is undertaken in accordance ▪ Invite Parties and observers to conduct
with the provisions of the Convention activities to address waste containing
as well as with related national laws and microplastics and nanomaterials.
relevant regional agreements.
COP-15 also adopted other decisions relevant to
plastic waste, including:
The COP adopted other decisions linked
▪ BC-15/10: Among others, the COP
to the implementation of the Plastic Waste
decided to continue the work to update
Amendments on:
the technical guidelines on the ESM of
▪ cooperation with the World Customs plastic waste.
Organization on the Harmonized
▪ BC-15/13: Among others, the COP took
Commodity Description and Coding
note of the practical guidance on the
System [Decision BC-14/9];
development of inventories of plastic
▪ national reporting [BC-14/10]; waste, invited Parties and others to make
▪ technical assistance [BC-14/18]; use of it, and requested the Secretariat to
▪ the Basel Convention Partnership undertake pilot projects to test it.
Programme [BC-14/19]; ▪ BC-15/22: Among others, the COP
▪ international cooperation and coordination requested the working group of the
[BC-14/21]; and Plastic Waste Partnership to continue to
implement the workplan.
▪ the clearing house mechanism for
information exchange [BC-14/23].
Q5: ​Which of the following actions for Parties
At its 15th meeting, held online from 06 to
is NOT included in the decision BC-14/13?
30 July 2021 and face to face in Geneva,
Switzerland, from 6 to 17 June 2022, the COP □ To promote the environmentally sound and
to the Basel Convention adopted decision BC- efficient management of plastic waste.
15/15 on further consideration of plastic waste.
□ To ensure that transboundary movements of
In this decision, the COP took note of and invited
plastic waste are undertaken in accordance
Parties and others to provide comments on the
with the provisions of the Convention as well
background information related to a possible
as with related national laws and relevant
future assessment of the effectiveness of the
regional agreements.
measures taken under the Basel Convention to

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□ To make further efforts at the domestic level □ To submit to the World Customs Organization
to prevent and minimize the generation of a proposal for amending the Harmonized
plastic waste. Commodity Description and Coding System
to allow the identification of types of wastes.

WHAT IS the Plastic Waste Partnership of the Basel Convention?

The Plastic Waste Partnership (PWP) of the Basel “to improve and promote the environmentally sound
Convention was established through Decision management of plastic waste at the global, regional
BC-14/13. Its goal is: and national levels and prevent and minimize their
generation so as to reduce significantly and in the
long-term eliminate the discharge of plastic waste
and microplastics into the environment, in particular
the marine environment”.

The work of the Partnership is overseen by a

working group and implemented through four
project groups:

I. Plastic waste prevention and minimization

This project group addresses issues such as

reducing single-use packaging waste, improving
the design of plastic products to increase
durability, scaling up re-use solutions and
biodegradable plastic products.

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II. Plastic waste collection, recycling and other recovery, including financing and
related markets

This project group focuses on management

systems, financing schemes, such as extended
producer responsibility (EPR), and regulatory and
voluntary measures.

III. Transboundary movement of plastic waste

This project group explores the means to support

custom, enforcement and other authorities as
well as to help Parties implement the Plastic
Waste Amendments.

IV. Outreach, education and awareness-raising

This project group develops and disseminates

information on prevention and minimization,
environmentally sound management and control
of transboundary movement of plastic waste.

Project groups and activities website.

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WHAT TECHNICAL assistance is provided by the BRS Secretariat and the Basel and
Stockholm Conventions Regional Centers?

The BRS Secretariat and the Basel and Stockholm ▪ Review and support to adjust national
Conventions Regional Centers provide technical legal and institutional frameworks to
assistance activities to strengthen Parties’ ensure a sound legal basis to implement
capacities for the control of transboundary and enforce the control regime of the
movement, environmentally sound management, Basel Convention.
and prevention and minimization of the ▪ Development of national inventories of
generation of plastic waste. As of March 2023, plastic waste.
such projects are being implemented, among
▪ Training of custom authorities and
others, in Ghana, Sri Lanka, Malawi and
enforcement officers.
Zimbabwe. Moreover, the project ‘Plastic
▪ Development of national strategies for the
Waste in Remote and Mountainous Areas’ aims
ESM of plastic waste.
to strengthen capacity and raise awareness in
remote and mountainous areas, including in ▪ Implementation of pilot projects, from the
several pilot countries, with activities initiated in collection and recycling of fishing nets to
North Macedonia and Peru and activities under the use of compostable packaging made
preparation in in Kazakhstan, Lesotho, Mauritius, from seaweed.
Nepal, Rwanda, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Activities implemented in these projects include
the following:

Q6: The Plastic Waste Partnership (PWP) of the Basel Convention, established through
Decision BC-14/13, is implemented through four project groups. Match each project with its
associated scope:

1. reducing single-use packaging waste, A. Outreach, education and awareness-

increasing durability, scaling up re-use raising
solutions, etc. B. Plastic waste collection, recycling and
2. management systems, financing other recovery, including financing
schemes, such as extended producer C. Plastic waste prevention and
responsibility (EPR), etc. minimization
3. explores means to support custom, D. Transboundary movements (TBM) of
enforcement and other authorities, etc. plastic waste
4. develops and disseminates
information on prevention and
minimization, ESM and TBM

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WHAT IS the Small Grants Programme on Plastic Waste?

Another vehicle to advance the implementation

of relevant provisions of the Basel Convention
on plastic waste are the pilot projects under the
Small Grants Programme (SGP) on Plastic Waste.
Those pilot projects are designed to be low cost
and high impact projects, aimed at improving the
management of plastic waste in partner countries
and thus contributing towards preventing and
significantly reducing marine pollution. They fall
under the following results areas:

CONTROLLING THE IMPROVING THE PREVENTING AND MINIMIZING REDUCING THE RISK FROM
TRANSBOUNDARY MOVEMENT ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND THE GENERATION OF HAZARDOUS CONSTITUENTS,
OF PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT OF PLASTIC WASTE PLASTIC WASTE SUCH AS POPS IN PLASTIC WASTE

As of March 2023, 16 pilot projects are being run recycling centre, the manufacture of reusable
implemented, or in the final preparatory stage and bags through a women’s cooperative, zero
an additional 7 projects have been selected for plastic high schools, development of regional
funding. Funded by Norad and the governments standards for transboundary movement of plastic
of Germany, Norway and Sweden, the projects wastes and a certification scheme for plastic
will be implemented by the Regional Centres. recycling companies.
Examples include the upgrading of a community-

BRS-Norad-1

The project ‘Marine litter and microplastics:

promoting the environmentally sound management
of plastic waste and achieving the prevention and
minimization of the generation of plastic waste’
seeks to prevent and significantly reduce marine
litter and microplastics by strengthening capacity
in Ghana, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh (currently on
hold) as well as at the regional and global levels.

Ghana case study will be discussed in more detail in

Module 2, lesson 4.

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU have reached the end of lesson 2 of this module.

In lesson 3, we will look at measures that are inter-agency coordination, the role of external
needed to set up the legal and institutional stakeholders and the tools available to support
arrangements for the implementation of the Parties. The lesson will also include examples of
Basel Convention. We’ll explore the legal and regional measures already in place.
regulatory requirements, the importance of

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Answers:

Q1: False Q5: To submit to the World Customs

Organization a proposal for amending the
Q2: 1-B, 2-C, 3-A
Harmonized Commodity Description and
Q3: 1-C, 2-A, 3-B Coding System to allow the identification of
Q4: Improved control of transboundary types of wastes.
movements, increased environmentally sound Q6: 1-C, 2-B, 3-D, 4-A
management and increased waste prevention
and minimization

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