Governance & Policy
Basel Convention
Definition
The Basel Convention, adopted in 1989 and in force since 1992, regulates the transboundary movement of hazardous and other wastes. It requires prior informed consent between exporting and importing states, obliges parties to manage wastes in an environmentally sound manner, and through later amendments and decisions restricts exports of hazardous and certain plastic wastes to countries unable to handle them safely.
References
Scope, prior informed consent and obligations
Regional implementation context
Overview
What it means
Shipping waste abroad is a regulated, consent-based activity, not free trade — the legal backbone against waste dumping in poorer countries.
How it is used
Customs authorities check waste shipments against Basel classifications; recyclers navigate its plastic-waste amendments; campaigners invoke it against illegal exports.
Why it matters
It governs the global waste trade at the heart of circular-economy policy, and its plastic amendments reshaped recycling markets worldwide.
Review questions
What source or framework gives the term authority? What boundary or role is being described? What evidence would a reviewer need before relying on the term?