The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste and their Disposal (1989)


The Basel Convention is a global treaty that grew out of the need to stop the dumping by the developed countries of hazardous waste in developing countries who were ill-prepared to deal with its impacts. The primary objective of the Convention is to minimise, with the aim of eliminating, the generation and transboundary movement of hazardous waste. The Convention also aims at preventing illegal trafficking in waste.

By providing access to information and technical assistance on best practice guidelines and procedures for waste handling, storage and destruction, the Convention promotes the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous waste. The Basel Convention does not cover radioactive waste or waste discharged from ships. The Convention entered into force in 1992.

In 1995, the Ban Amendment was introduced to strengthen the Basel Convention by prohibiting the export of hazardous waste, for any reason, from a member state of the OECD to non-OECD countries.

In 1999, a protocol on liability and compensation was adopted.



The tabs in this section of the Handbook provide a description of the Basel Convention, its obligations and the tools needed to implement it. As well, resources documents and contacts are provided to make the task easier.