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Measures to reduce or eliminate releases from wastes

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Table of Contents

  1. Preamble
  2. Paragraph 1.
  4. Paragraph 3.
  5. Paragraph 4.
  6. Paragraph 5.
  8. Paragraph 7.
  9. Paragraph 8.

Measures to reduce or eliminate releases from wastes

The Conference of the Parties
1.Welcomes with appreciation decision BC-14/4 on technical guidelines on the environmentally sound management of wastes consisting of, containing or contaminated with persistent organic pollutants, by which the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, at its fourteenthmeeting, adopted updated general technical guidelines on the environmentally sound management of wastes consisting of, containing or contaminated with persistent organic pollutants1 and other technical guidelines specific to persistent organic pollutants listed in that decision;1UNEP/CHW.14/7/Add.1/Rev.1.
2.Notes that the updated general technical guidelines adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention at its fourteenthmeeting:
(a)Establish provisional definitions for low persistent organic pollutant content;22Ibid., sect. III.A.
(b)Establish a provisional definition for levels of destruction and irreversible transformation;33Ibid., sect. III.B.
(c)Determine methods considered to constitute environmentally sound disposal;44Ibid., sect. IV.G.
3.Reminds Parties to take into account the above‑mentioned technical guidelines when implementing their obligations under paragraph 1 of Article 6 of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants;
4.Encourages the introduction and demonstration in developing countries and countries with economies in transition of cost-effective methods selected from those listed in section IV G of the general technical guidelines;
5.Requests the Secretariat, subject to the availability of resources, to undertake capacity-building and training activities to support Parties in meeting their obligations under paragraph 1 of Article 6 of the Stockholm Convention, taking into account the above‑mentioned technical guidelines;
6.Invites the appropriate bodies of the Basel Convention, with regard to the chemicals newly listed in Annex A to the Stockholm Convention by decisions SC-9/11 and SC-9/12:
(a)To establish for those chemicals the levels of destruction and irreversible transformation necessary to ensure that the characteristics of persistent organic pollutants, as specified in paragraph 1 of Annex D to the Stockholm Convention, are not exhibited;
(b)To determine what they consider to be the methods that constitute environmentally sound disposal under paragraph 1 (d) (ii) of Article 6 of the Stockholm Convention;
(c)To work to establish, as appropriate, the concentration levels in order to define for those chemicals the low persistent organic pollutant content referred to in paragraph 1 (d) (ii) of Article 6 of the Stockholm Convention;
(d)To further update, if necessary, the general technical guidelines on the environmentally sound management of wastes consisting of, containing or contaminated with persistent organic pollutants, and to update or develop new specific technical guidelines under the Basel Convention;
7.Also invites the appropriate bodies of the Basel Convention, with regard to the amendments of Annex B to the Stockholm Convention regarding perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, its salts and perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride pursuant to decision SC-9/4, to further update, if necessary, the general technical guidelines on the environmentally sound management of wastes consisting of, containing or contaminated with persistent organic pollutants, and to update the technical guidelines on perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, its salts and perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride under the Basel Convention;
8.Encourages Parties to accelerate their efforts to ensure the sound management of persistent organic pollutant stockpiles and wastes, including their further identification, and to prepare plans of action that prioritize the environmentally sound disposal of such wastes.