Hazardous Waste Exports

EDM number 686 in 1992-93, proposed by Peter Hardy on 28/10/1992.

That this House condemns the Government's support for the continued export of hazardous waste for recycling in non OECD countries; further condemns the Government for wishing to extend the OECD's green, amber and red classification system for wastes to cover non OECD countries; notes and welcomes the decision of the European Court of Justice on 9th July 1992 (European Commission v Belgium) which implied that rules of free trade did not have to apply to the movement of hazardous waste; believes that the continued export of hazardous wastes from the United Kingdom causes considerable environmental damage in Third World countries; calls on the Government to uphold the Basel Convention and Lome IV by respecting the import ban on hazardous waste imposed by 88 countries; urges the Government to close the current recycling loophole which allows waste traders to export their hazardous wastes through bilateral agreements and thus avoid taking responsibility for their environmentally sound management at home; and further calls on the Government as part of the six-month presidency of the EC to support the inclusion of OECD green list wastes in any EC ban on waste exports and enshrine the right of EC member states to unilaterally ban waste imports and exports.

This motion has been signed by a total of 58 MPs.