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The Basel Convention also prohibits the import or export of waste between parties of
the convention and nonparties. There is an exception to this rule, however. If waste is
subject to another treaty and does not take away from the Basel Convention, party and
nonparty transportation can occur.
This is especially relevant to the United States, because it is a nonparty to the PART I
convention, but has a number of similar agreements that allow for the shipping of
PART I
PART I
hazardous wastes to Basel party countries.
Although the United States is a nonparty, it can still ship e-waste to party members,
such as China, because it has other treaties in place. This is illustrated in Figure 2-1.
Further, parties to the Basel Convention must honor import bans from other parties.

Additional Regulation
The Basel Convention also calls for an overall reduction of waste generation. This is meant
not to meddle within a sovereign country’s boundaries, but rather to discourage the
generation of e-waste, which might then be transported to other countries.
The convention also calls for parties to adopt a protocol establishing liability guidelines
and procedures for damages that stem from the movement of hazardous waste across
borders.

Controversy
The Basel Convention has not been a slam dunk, however. Of the 170 parties to the
convention, three have yet to ratify it, including the United States, Haiti, and Afghanistan.
Additionally, a number of countries support the Basel Ban.

NOTE A complete list of the countries to have signed and ratified the Basel Convention can be found
on the Basel Secretariat’s web page via Link 2-3.

Although the intent of the Basel Convention seems laudable enough, some people,
NGOs, and countries aren’t clapping. They don’t think the convention goes far enough.
Some countries and NGOs have advocated a complete ban on shipping hazardous
waste to developing countries. Additionally, the convention does not prohibit waste exports
(except to Antarctica), but rather requires a notification and consent system.

FIGURE 2-1
Although the
United States is a
nonparty, it can North Pacific
still ship e-waste Ocean
to party members, Mariana
Trench
such as China,
because it has E-waste can be shipped from the
other treaties in United States to China because of
place. existing treaties.