Open Letter to Basel Convention Delegates and other Interested Government Entities

The letter argues that the current lack of controls on the global trade of waste plastic leads to 'global plastic dumping' in developing countries, exacerbating the marine debris crisis and harming public health. It specifically highlights how China's ban on plastic imports has shifted waste flows toward Southeast Asian countries that may lack the capacity for environmentally sound management. The authors request the removal of 'B3010: solid plastic wastes' from Annex IX and the addition of 'Y48: Solid plastic waste' (contaminated or mixed plastics) to Annex II to increase transparency and allow countries to make informed decisions about imports.

• The authors argue that the global trade in waste plastic often involves materials with little recycling value sent to substandard operations in developing countries, which lacks sufficient tracking and control mechanisms.
• China's decision to ban plastic waste imports has resulted in large volumes of waste being redirected to Southeast Asian nations that may have even less capacity for environmentally sound management.
• Plastic waste poses multiple environmental and health risks: it threatens marine life, enters the human food chain as microplastics and nanoplastics, and releases greenhouse gases and toxic emissions when incinerated.
• The proposed regulatory change involves removing 'B3010: solid plastic wastes' from Annex IX and placing 'Y48: Solid plastic waste' (specifically contaminated or mixed plastics) on Annex II to subject these materials to the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (n.d.). Open Letter to Basel Convention Delegates and other Interested Government Entities. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Basel-Letter-Amendment-Annex-22FAnnex-9-1.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Open Letter to Basel Convention Delegates and other Interested Government Entities. n.d. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Basel-Letter-Amendment-Annex-22FAnnex-9-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Open Letter to Basel Convention Delegates and other Interested Government Entities |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Basel-Letter-Amendment-Annex-22FAnnex-9-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centerforinternationalenvironmentallawndopen, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Open Letter to Basel Convention Delegates and other Interested Government Entities}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Basel-Letter-Amendment-Annex-22FAnnex-9-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }