Onus on all to cut plastic waste

ABOUT 180 COUNTRIES AND REGIONS, with the notable exception of the United States, recently amended the Basel Convention to include plastic waste in a legally-binding framework which will make the global trade in plastic waste more transparent and better regulated. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

The Basel Convention came into effect in 1992, with the aim of curbing the transfer of hazardous chemicals and waste. Now, 27 years later, it finally recognizes that plastic waste is harmful and should be limited.

The convention regulates the movement of hazardous materials from one country to another, and the resolution means contaminated and most mixes of plastic wastes will require prior consent from receiving countries before they are traded, with reportedly mixes of polyethylene, polypropene and polyethylene terephthalate excepted.