Basel Convention – All Electrical and Electronic Equipment Will Be Subject to PIC Procedure

Members of the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Basel Convention, held in Geneva in June 2022, adopted the so-called Ghana-Switzerland proposal that was tabled early 2021.

The landmark amendments aim at tightening the reins on the transboundary movement of all electronic waste, whether hazardous or not.

Amongst the most noteworthy changes adopted by COP Decision BC-15/18 is the addition of a new entry Y49 “WEEE its components and constituents not characterized as hazardous” under annex II of the Basel Convention “Categories of waste requiring special consideration”. The implications of such an entry are such that non-hazardous WEEE will be subject to PIC procedure (Prior Informed Consent), as well.

The adopted proposal includes:

• the addition of a new entry A1181 covering hazardous e-waste under annex VIII “Waste presumed to be hazardous: subject to PIC procedure”,
• Deletion of the existing e-waste entries B1110 (e-wastes) and B4030 (single-use cameras) under annex IX “waste presumed not to be hazardous: not subject to the PIC procedure”.

The entries above-mentioned are expected to be effective as of 1 January 2025.

Though formally adopted by COP 15, the Decision BC-15/18 and corresponding FAQs are not yet available on the Basel Convention’s website.

Should you require more information, please contact 1cc Consulting at compliance@1cc-consulting.com.