Illegal Waste Shipments

IMPEL – Third Country Collaboration

Number: 2013/21
Status: Running
Period: 2013

Large amounts of post-consumer wastes such as electronic wastes, mixed plastics, waste tyres and ELVs are being exported from Europe to the other parts of the world, mainly Asia and Africa. Recent repatriation cases also show illegal exports of waste from the EU to South America. Many exports take place with the alleged intent of re-use or recycling but often result in residual hazardous materials being disposed of in an environmentally unsound manner. The only way to verify the final destination...
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Lead Country:
Sweden

Waste Sites II

Number: 2013/19
Status: Running
Period: 2013

This project is based on the experiences derived from the first Waste Sites project of 2011-2012 which confirmed the assumption that in order to control illegal waste exports from the EU more effectively – notably of e-waste and end-of-life vehicles – it is important to target the sources of these waste streams and the “upstream” facilities where the waste is collected, stored and/or treated before the export. Site-oriented policing...
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Lead Country:
Germany

IMPEL TFS – Africa E-waste project

Number: 2010/14
Status: Finalised
Period: 2010

To ensure that waste is shipped to licensed facilities and treated in an environmentally sound manner without damaging the environment and human health, it is necessary to follow waste from its origin to its final destination. In case of waste shipments and treatment within the EU, the network of contacts exists and can be used for requests. This is not yet the case in countries of destination outside Europe. However, some major waste streams also find their way to African countries. Mainly the...
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Lead Country:
Norway

IMPEL-TFS NCP Exchange days 2012

Number: 2012/11
Status: Running
Period: 2012

The compliance deficit of the Basel Convention and the European Waste Shipment Regulation (1013/2006) or ‘WSR’ is very serious and past experience indicates that we are dealing with organised crime in many cases. Figures indicate that about 20% of all waste shipments are in violation. IMPEL-TFS project results illustrate that within the enforcement and prosecution of the WSR it is very necessary to work together as competent authorities. In the whole chain of one waste shipment, multiple authorities...
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Lead Country:
Netherlands

IMPEL TFS Enforcement Actions III

Number: 2012/15
Status: Running
Period: 2012

This project will run until the spring of 2014 and will encourage best practice in waste shipment inspections through a series of coordinated inspections and exchanges. The inspections under this project will take place during three periods in both 2012 and 2013. A ‘chain’ (from site of loading to site of recovery) approach to inspection will be used to verify environmentally sound management of waste shipments. Enforcement tools will also be developed as part of this project to encourage...
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Lead Country:
UK

Cooperation and Awareness Raising to Prevent Illegal Traffic in Waste to non-OECD countries in Asia

Number: 2012/16
Status: Running
Period: 2012

Large amounts of post-consumer wastes such as electronic wastes are being exported from Europe to Asia. Many exports take place with the alleged intent of re-use or recycling but often result in residual hazardous materials being disposed of in an environmentally unsound manner. Many exports are illegal and in violation of the Basel Convention, or the EU Waste Shipments Regulation. Awareness raising concerning existing laws and illegal traffic is needed among various stakeholders. Cooperation...
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Lead Country:
TFS Steering Committee

EU – African enforcement collaboration 2012

Number: 2012/17
Status: Running
Period: 2012

To ensure that waste is shipped to licensed facilities and treated in an environmentally sound manner without damaging the environment and human health, it is necessary to follow waste from its origin to its final destination. In case of waste shipments and treatment within the EU, the network of contacts exists and can be used for requests. This is not yet always the case in countries of destination outside Europe. Some major waste streams find their way to African countries. Mainly the end-of-life...
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Lead Country:
TBC

Illegal Waste Shipments: National authorities join forces with shipping industry

INECE (in cooperation with IMPEL) co-facilitated an international workshop in Rotterdam on the 14-15 November in which authorities and organizations met with stakeholders from the shipping industry to find common ground for effective approaches to fight illegal transnational hazardous waste shipments. Such shipments are in conflict with the provisions of the Basel Convention and cause [...]

Transfrontier shipment of e-waste

Number: 2010/18
Status: Finalised
Period: 2010/11

The main objectives of this project were to:

To deliver an up to date threat assessment that identifies how effectively the WEEE Directive is being implemented in Member States and the risks e-waste exports pose to the EU
To understand the scope and scale of the e-waste export trade in Europe, who is involved and what happens to shipments leaving Europe and what the problems are that occur in the countries of destination
To develop and provide to IMPEL TFS members...

Enforcement Actions Interim Project

Number: 2011/25
Status: Finalised
Period: 2011

The Waste Shipment Regulation (1013/2006/EC) requires Member States to inspect shipments of waste and to co-operate with each other. The Enforcement Actions project was set up for the following reasons: - Some Member States expressed the need for a formalised project framework in order to integrate this with the enforcement inspections in their own countries; - International cooperation is essential to tackle international environmental problems; and - The network of enforcers in the field...
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Lead Country:
UK (Scotland)

Projects - illegal waste shipments