Regulation of electronic waste under the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal

摘要

This article describes the regulation of electronic waste (e-waste) under the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste and Their Disposal (the Basel Convention). It provides a general description of e-waste and the hazards it may pose to the environment and human health, and a summary of the relevant parts of the Basel Convention, decisions made at the Conference of Parties and activities of the Expert Working Group concerning e-waste and its management. It provides case studies in China and Australia for insights into how e-waste is managed. Generally it finds there is an inequity in the global distribution of e-waste and its hazards, with waste tending to flow from developed to less developed countries. However, it also finds that relatively recent policy developments in China may signal a change in this dynamic and force Australia, and other countries, to develop new solutions to manage their e-waste.