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See also the following sections of this website:

• Nuclear energy industry

Websites:

Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal (UN Environment Programme, 1989, with 1999 Protocol on Liability and Compensation) 

Edie: The online community for water, waste & environment professionals

Other materials:

2003:

Seven activists win top environmental prize (Michael Kahn, Reuters, 15 Apr. 2003)

• Coalminer’s Daughter in West Virginia, Australian Aboriginal Grandmothers Among Winners of 2003 Goldman Environmental Prize - World’s Largest Award for Grassroots Environmentalists Honors Seven Fighting for Clean Energy, Water and against Government Corruption (Goldman Environmental Prize, 14 Apr. 2003)

• {···español} Hija de minero del carbón en Virginia Occidental y abuelas aborígenes de Australia entre los ganadores del Premio Medioambiental Goldman de 2003 - Mayor premio del mundo para ecologistas de base honra a siete que luchan por la energía limpia y el agua sana, y en contra de la corrupción gubernamental (Premio Medioambiental Goldman, 14 abril 2003)

• Goldman Prize honors environmental crusaders -...The Goldman prize honors grassroots environmental "heroes" from six geographic areas on the planet. (Wyatt Buchanan, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Apr. 2003)

• 2003 Recipient Backgrounders - 2003 Goldman Environmental Prize Recipients - A coal miner’s daughter and native West Virginian, Julia Bonds has won the Goldman Environmental Prize for leading campaigns to stop mountaintop removal mining...Forest protection activist Odigha Odigha of Cross River State, Nigeria, has won the Goldman Environmental Prize for winning unprecedented protections for Nigeria’s last remaining rainforests. Odigha was instrumental in creating a statewide logging moratorium...Von Hernandez has won the Goldman Environmental Prize for organizing campaigns against waste incinerators in the Philippines...Physicist and economics professor Pedro Arrojo-Agudo has won the Goldman Environmental Prize for leading the campaign to stop Spain’s National Hydrological Plan from damming and re-routing the country’s last remaining free-flowing rivers...Peruvian community organizer Maria Elena Foronda Farro has won the Goldman Environmental Prize for her campaign to clean up Peru’s fishmeal industry, which dumps untreated industrial waste into streams and out of smokestacks, causing cholera outbreaks, fungal skin diseases and the worst pollution problems in Peru’s coastal cities...Aboriginal elders Eileen Kampakuta Brown and Eileen Wani Wingfield have won the Goldman Environmental Prize for their leadership in the campaign to block construction of a nuclear waste dump in their South Australian desert homeland. (Goldman Environmental Prize, 14 Apr. 2003)

The launch of the UK Corporate Responsibility Index - Toby Kent reports from the launch of the BitC [Business in the Community] Corporate Responsibility Index, highlighting its main components and the major issues it raises. (Toby Kent, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 14 Mar. 2003)

• Results of first Corporate Responsibility Index published [UK] - Business in the Community has released the results of its first annual Corporate Responsibility Index today. The index publicly benchmarks the responsible business practice of top companies in the UK...Companies in the top quintile are: 3M; AstraZeneca; Aviva; BAA; BP; BT Group; Carillion; Dow Chemical Company; ISIS; J Sainsbury; Marks & Spencer; mm02; National Grid Transco; Rio Tinto; Safeway; ScottishPower; Shell International; Tesco; Unilever; Waste Recycling Group; Co-operative Bank; Co-operative Insurance Society; Innogy Holdings; Lafarge Cement UK; Vivendi Water. (Business in the Community, 12 Mar. 2003)

• Corporate Responsibility Index (Business in the Community)

• 2002 Index Results (Business in the Community)

• New UK Index Rates Corporate Social Responsibility Performance (William Baue, SocialFunds.com, 13 Mar. 2003)

Waste management company to pay nearly $200,000 for disability discrimination - Qualified Employee with Crohn's Disease Fired Unlawfully, EEOC Suit Says - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced a $194,000 settlement of an employment discrimination lawsuit filed under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) on behalf of a qualified former employee with Crohn's disease who was terminated by Browning-Ferris, Inc., a waste management company. (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 5 Mar. 2003)

State [of California] toxic control agency fines Rialto firm $2.5 million [USA] - Nearly $2.5 million in fines have been levied against a Rialto hazardous waste facility [Denova Environmental Inc.] where thousands of pounds of unstable explosives were stored, the state Department of Toxic Substance Control announced Wednesday. (Associated Press, 26 Feb. 2003)

Electronics Recyclers Pledge: “No Export, No Dumping, No Prisons” - Sixteen private electronics recycling firms representing 22 facilities throughout North America have pledged to uphold rigorous environmental and social criteria for the dismantling and recycling of e-wastes. (GreenBiz.com, 25 Feb. 2003)

• 15 computer recyclers to sign take-back deal [USA] -...Fifteen electronics recyclers in North America -- including the largest in Texas and the Southwest, Resource Concepts of Carrollton -- are expected to sign a pledge today promising to not send electronic waste to landfills or incinerators or allow it to be exported...The environmental campaign also targets Dell, the Austin-based manufacturer that is the largest producer of personal computers, in an effort to get the company to take back its old equipment. (Neil Strassman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Feb. 2003)

China Serves as Dump Site for Computers - Unsafe Recycling Practice Grows Despite Import Ban -...The real costs are being borne by the people on the receiving end of the "e-waste." In towns along China's coast as well as in India and Pakistan, adults and children work for about $1.20 a day in unregulated and unsafe conditions. As rivers and soils absorb a mounting influx of carcinogens and other toxins, people are suffering high incidences of birth defects, infant mortality, tuberculosis and blood diseases, as well as particularly severe respiratory problems, according to recent reports by the state-controlled Guangdong Radio and the Beijing Youth newspaper. (Peter S. Goodman, Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2003)

Scandal of Toxic Waste Exports to Developing Nations Continues - A coalition of NGOs are calling on Thailand to ban the import of all toxic wastes into Thai territory, following the discovery that the country is becoming a target for international toxic waste traders. Last March it was revealed that hazardous waste from the wealthy West was being sent to less well-off nations such as China, India and Pakistan. Basel Action Network (BAN) and the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition revealed that poor workers in China were being employed to break apart obsolete computers, coming into contact with toxic substances from lead-laden cathode ray tubes to soldered circuit boards. (Edie, 21 Feb. 2003)

UNEP: Agency Says Mercury Pollution Rising In Poor Countries - Coal-fired power stations and waste incinerators in developing countries are to blame for the majority of the world's new mercury contamination (UN Wire, 5 Feb. 2003)

14 Organizations to Cut GHGs 4% by 2006 - Fourteen organizations, including several large corporations, have entered into a legally binding agreement to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 4 percent within the next four years. The 14 entities announced last week that they are forming the Chicago Climate Exchange...The 14 entities include American Electric Power; Baxter International Inc.; the city of Chicago; DuPont; Equity Office Properties Trust; Ford Motor Company; International Paper; Manitoba Hydro; MeadWestvaco Corporation; Motorola, Inc.; STMicroelectronics; Stora Enso North America; Temple-Inland Inc.; and Waste Management, Inc. (GreenBiz.com, 23 Jan. 2003)

2002:

TOXIC SUBSTANCES: Countries Discuss More Public Access To Information - European, Central Asian and North American negotiators began weeklong talks in Geneva Monday to finalize an international pact on the public's right to information about chemical waste and toxic pollutants in the environment, Reuters reports. (UN Wire, 27 Nov. 2002)

• Countries seek tougher 'right to know' on toxics -...the week-long talks...come amid complaints by environmental groups that some toxic substances — radioactive waste and cancer-causing chemicals — risk being dropped from the draft deal under pressure from industry lobbyists.  Friends of the Earth and other activists warn that some countries are pressing for known carcinogenic substances — such as beryllium, a metal used in some electronic appliances, and chromium VI, employed in pigments and dyes, leather tanning, and wood preserving — to be removed from the list. Another area of concern is styrene — a possible carcinogen used widely in rubber, plastics, insulation, fiberglass, and autoparts — which is also in line to be omitted. (Stephanie Nebehay, Reuters, 26 Nov. 2002)

Public right-to-know undermined in new pollution treaty - Negotiations on a new international treaty to increase the public’s right-to-know on sources of pollution enter the final stages with a United Nations meeting in Geneva next week. But environmentalists are warning that key chemicals and radioactive waste are likely to be excluded from the treaty, following lobbying from industry and the conservative positions taken by governments. (Friends of the Earth, 21 Nov. 2002)

EL SALVADOR: ILO Cites Progress Toward Ending Child Labor - El Salvador's El Diario de Hoy reported yesterday that the International Labor Organization said it is making progress in efforts to assist an estimated 265,000 child laborers in the country, 30,000 of whom participate in the worst forms of child labor. The ILO said child participation in such industries as fishing, cane and fireworks production and garbage collection has declined in several Salvadoran regions. (UN Wire, 15 Nov. 2002)

• {···español} Combate al trabajo infantil [El Salvador]: Niños que ayer trabajaban en la pesca y la basura hoy ya estudian (Pedro Rodríguez, El Diario de Hoy [El Salvador], 14 Noviembre 2002)

WORLD BANK: Institution Contradicts Itself By Backing Incineration, NGOs Say - Some activists cited by Inter Press Service allege that the World Bank continues to promote development projects that include environmentally harmful waste incineration (UN Wire, 13 Nov. 2002)

Teenage Workers Don’t Need to Die [New Zealand] - “The pitiful fine of $15,000 awarded against a rubbish collection firm [Street Smart] for failing to ensure the safety of a teenage worker highlights the need for tougher workplace health and safety law,’ said Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson today. (New Zealand Council of Trade Unions, 13 Nov. 2002)

Teens need safer workplace [USA] -...The Labor Department released a report recently urging the government to prohibit teenagers from working in fields such as construction, window washing and garbage collection. The report also called for stronger enforcement of the labor regulations already in place. (editorial, St. Petersburg Times [Florida, USA], 2 Sep. 2002)

Environmental Fiduciary: The Case for Incorporating Environmental Factors into Investment Management Policies - In this report, we show that fiduciaries who manage funds for institutional investors such as pension funds, foundations and charitable trusts should incorporate environmental factors into their portfolio management policies. [includes reference to DuPont, ST Microelectronics, IBM, Baxter Intl, Smithfield Foods, US Liquids, Weyerhauser, Georgia Pacific, ChevronTexaco, Marathon Oil, Deutsche Telekom, Nestle, Southern California Gas, ITT, Textron, Corning, Whole Foods, Hains Celestial] (Susannah Blake Goodman, Jonas Kron & Tim Little, The Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment, 21 Aug. 2002)

Round table seeks ways to harness trade and investment for sustainable development -...A recent high-level round table in Abuja, Nigeria, hosted by the Government and sponsored by UNDP, assisted by several partners, examined the issue [the challenge of reconciling the powerful forces of international trade and investment with efforts to reduce poverty and protect the environment], focusing on partnerships between government, civil society and the private sector for sustainable development in the oil, gas and minerals sector and the water and sanitation sector...Egbert Imomoh, senior corporate advisor with Shell International, discussed his company's experiences in partnerships in Gabon, Nigeria, Thailand, Mexico and the Philippines...Kwabena S. Manu of Mime Consult Ltd. in Ghana presented a pilot project to involve local private firms in developing small town water supply systems. (U.N. Development Programme, 14 Aug. 2002)

EU charges 10 states with breaking rules on waste - The European Union said this week it was taking eight of its 15 member states to court for failing to comply with rules on waste and had cautioned two others whose environmental laws were not up to scratch. [charges against Italy, Greece, Britain, Spain, Austria, Portugal, Belgium, Germany; formal warnings to Finland & France] [refers to waste disposal & battery disposal] (Reuters, 25 July 2002)

• Sector Reports - UNEP DTIE is facilitating the preparation of a series of sector reports [for World Summit on Sustainable Development], whereby international, industry organisations and associations take stock of progress towards sustainable development and outline future challenges and actions to be taken (United Nations Environment Programme)

• Sector report - Waste management

Piles of poisons: Despite NAFTA's green promises, hazardous waste problems are deepening in Mexico; Sustaining Livelihoods (Jennifer Clapp, Alternatives Journal, 22 Mar. 2002)

China's poor pick profits from toxic tech trash:...Electronic waste can contain 1,000 different substances including lead, cadmium, chromium and mercury - heavy metals which are highly toxic...This brew of toxic substances can damage nervous, kidney and reproductive systems, while some of the metals contain carcinogens...Despite the Basel Convention, which in 1994 banned the export of hazardous waste from rich to poor countries, electronic waste from the United States and to a lesser extent Europe, South Korea and Japan has ended up on Chinese shores, environmentalists say. (Reuters, 15 Mar. 2002)

Incinerator Protesters Prepare for a Struggle in the Sky [UK]: A high-altitude confrontation around the chimney peak of a London waste-burning plant [owned by French company Onyx] was expected late Tuesday as a "specialist team" from the capital's Metropolitan Police Service prepared to climb the tower...to displace Greenpeace demonstrators...Greenpeace claims that the plant releases dangerous amounts of man-made chemicals, known as dioxins (Carol Nahra, OneWorld UK, 26 Feb. 2002)

TOXIC WASTE: "Recycled" U.S. Electronics Pose Risks In Asia, Groups Say - A coalition of environmental groups said in a report today that 50 percent to 80 percent of electronics waste collected for recycling in the United States is sent to developing countries in Asia to be reused, often in dangerous conditions. (UN Wire, 25 Feb. 2002)

• press release: High-Tech Toxic Trash From USA Found to be Flooding Asia: New Report Documents Export of Cyber Age Nightmare - A groundbreaking investigation by an international coalition of environmental organizations has revealed that huge quantities of hazardous electronic wastes (E-wastes) are being exported to China, Pakistan and India where they are processed in operations that are extremely harmful to human health and the environment. The organizations -- Basel Action Network and Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition with support from Toxics Link India, Greenpeace China and SCOPE (Pakistan) -- have produced a astonishing new report on the investigation entitled: Exporting Harm: The High-Tech Trashing of Asia. (Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition & Basel Action Network, 25 Feb. 2002)

• full report: Exporting Harm: The High-Tech Trashing of Asia (Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition & Basel Action Network, 25 Feb. 2002)

• Technology's Toxic Trash Is Sent to Poor Nations (John Markoff, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2002)

Trading in Disaster: World Trade Center Scrap Lands in India -...more than 30,000 tons of steel scrap -- possibly contaminated with asbestos, PCBs, cadmium, mercury and dioxins -- has been exported to India and other parts of Asia (Nityanand Jayaraman and Kenny Bruno, CorpWatch, 6 Feb. 2002)

Fears grow over landfill defect link: Worries over a link between living near landfill sites and birth defects have been fuelled by further scientific evidence...Environmental campaigners Friends of the Earth are calling for government [UK Government] action to reduce the use of hazardous landfill sites, in the light of the Lancet research. (BBC News, 25 Jan. 2002)

Plastic Waste Disposal Guidelines Adopted: Experts from some 100 governments meeting here [Geneva] have adopted a set of technical guidelines for protecting human health and the environment from the improper management and disposal of plastic wastes. (Environment News Service, 23 Jan. 2002)

Waste Company Fined £17,000 for Offences at Arpley [UK]: Warrington Magistrates’ Court today fined 3C Waste Limited £17,000 after the company admitted three offences at its Arpley landfill site in Warrington. (Environment Agency [UK Government], 21 Jan. 2002)

'Appalled' Magistrates fine company [a waste management company] £20,000 and praise Environment Agency [UK] (Environment Agency [UK Government], 18 Jan. 2002)

Hazardous Waste: Experts At Geneva Meeting Adopt New Guidelines - Experts from 100 countries meeting in Geneva this week have adopted new technical guidelines under the auspices of the Basel Convention on the Control of the Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal in an effort to better protect health and the environment from improper disposal of plastic wastes. (UN Wire, 18 Jan. 2002)

Rich Countries Dump Plastic Wastes in India: At a time when Indian cities and the rural countryside are reeling under a plastic waste crisis, official import data indicates that India has been a favoured dumping ground for plastic wastes...The imports included wastes of highly toxic plastics such as PVC (poly vinyl chloride), exported primarily from United States, Taiwan, the Netherlands, Japan, France, UK and Belgium. (NoPE - No Plastics in the Environment, 11 Jan. 2002)

Shanks waste services prosecuted for offences at Newton Longville landfill site [UK] (Environment Agency [UK Government], 11 Jan. 2002)

2001:

TOXIC WASTE: U.N. Special Rapporteur To Visit United States -...Charged with investigating the negative impact on human rights of toxic waste disposal, Ouhachi-Vesely will visit several U.S. cities and hold discussions with representatives of government, business and nongovernmental organizations (UN Wire, 30 Nov. 2001)

Company directors must show zero tolerance of pollution [UK]: Pollution is still being treated as an acceptable risk by too many businesses in England and Wales, the Chief Executive of the Environment Agency said today. A culture change is needed across management, Barbara Young said, with zero tolerance for pollution replacing apathy and acceptance of poor environmental performance. (Environment Agency [UK Government], 28 Sep. 2001)

• Company directors must show zero tolerance of pollution [UK]: The Waste Industry

Mismanagement of wastes causing serious environmental pollution: Human waste - Municipal solid waste - Industrial waste: In order to improve the quality of life and for that matter safeguard the environment from the deleterious effects of pollution, it is essential that these wastes from different sources be managed in a proper fashion. This article considers these three major sources of wastes responsible for environmental pollution in Bangladesh, briefly reviews their management situation and suggests measures for improvements. (Dr Md. Mujibur Rahman, Professor of Civil Engineering and Director, Centre for Environmental and Resource Management, in Daily Star [Bangladesh], 7 Sep. 2001)

Molecules of death: ...Dioxins are among the deadliest chemicals known to humans...Dioxins are released mostly from burning of chlorinated compounds e.g, from garbage, medical waste and toxic chemicals. Dioxins from incinerators contaminate the air, water and food passing these deadly pollutants on to people through milk, meat and other fatty animal products. Bleaching of paper with chlorinated compounds, production of pvc plastics, chlorinated pesticides and secondary smeltering of copper also produce dioxins. Essentially, to produce dioxin we need organic matter, chlorine and a reactive thermal environment...Despite knowing their carcinogenic nature, there is no monitoring of these chemicals in most countries. (Centre for Science and Environment, Down to Earth, 31 Aug. 2001)

Washington Chemical Inc. ex-president charged in waste case [USA]: Donn Herron of Spokane, Wash., was indicted on August 7 on charges he unlawfully stored, treated and disposed of hazardous waste....The illegal disposal of hazardous waste can contaminate drinking water and pose a threat to human health and safety. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 20 Aug. 2001)

HAZARDOUS WASTE: Environmentalists Raise Alarm Over U.S. Approach - Environmentalists are becoming increasingly concerned the U.S. administration is considering walking away from the ratification of a 1995 amendment to the Basel Convention on hazardous waste. The amendment, agreed to by consensus by 82 countries, enhances commitments to the treaty by prohibiting wealthy countries from dumping toxic waste from industrial and other sectors in developing countries. (UN Wire, 16 Aug. 2001)

Mexico's Cytrar Hazardous Waste Dump Focus of Probe: The environmental agency that operates as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is seeking more information about the establishment and operation of the Cytrar hazardous waste landfill near the city of Hermosillo, in the state of Sonora, Mexico. (Environment News Service, 9 Aug. 2001)

Aarhus Convention starts count-down to entry into force: The Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters will come into effect on 30 October 2001. (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, 9 Aug. 2001)

Landmark victory for public health & the environment [USA]: Court Rules EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] Regulations For Hazardous Waste Burners Inadequate - Earthjustice today secured a landmark victory for public health and the environment pertaining to critical clean air standards. In its ruling today, the United States Court of Appeals struck down as inadequate and unlawful EPA regulations for incinerators and cement kilns that burn hazardous waste. Earthjustice filed suit on behalf of the Sierra Club in 1999 to challenge the EPA regulations. (Earthjustice, 24 July 2001)

NAFTA Panel Examines Air Pollution: Electricity plant emissions and waste made up the largest portion of industrial pollution in Canada and the United States in 1998, according to a report issued Friday. (Associated Press, in Las Vegas Sun, 20 July 2001)

Earthjustice lawsuit challenges EPA's failure to control hazardous air pollution in cities [USA]: Missed Deadlines Leave Urban Areas Waiting for Public Health Protections - Responding to a rash of missed clean air deadlines, Earthjustice today filed the second of seven lawsuits challenging the federal government’s chronic failure to protect Americans from the health hazards of toxic air pollution. Earthjustice represents Sierra Club in its second suit this week against the Environmental Protection Agency.  Today’s lawsuit challenges EPA’s failure to implement a key requirement in the Clean Air Act: the Act’s mandate to reduce emissions of the hazardous air pollutants that are the greatest threat to public health in urban areas. These pollution sources include chemical plants and various types of waste incinerators, among others, but the list is incomplete and most of the sources remain unregulated. (Earthjustice, 17 July 2001)

Survey links pollution to sexual development (Anne Byrne, Irish Times, 26 May 2001)

Industry concedes to Greenpeace demands and takes first steps towards stopping releases of newly banned toxic chemicals [Sweden] (Greenpeace, 25 May 2001)

New convention to ban toxic chemicals marks turning point for industry (Greenpeace, 23 May 2001)

UN urges quick end to "dirty dozen" chemicals (Alister Doyle, Reuters, 22 May 2001) 

ENVIRONMENT: Poor Countries - the North's Radioactive Dump (Jorge Piña, Inter Press Service, 7 May 2001)

Garbage man becomes matchmaker: Web site clears way for waste disposal [Japan] (Sachiko Hirao, Japan Times, 3 May 2001)

Waste Management: Finding the Treasure in Trash [Bangladesh] (Changemakers.net Journal, May 2001)

Greenpeace calls for international ban on waste incinerators (Greenpeace, 25 Apr. 2001)

Greenpeace calls on EU to stop greenwashing waste issue: New report confirms health concerns over incineration (Greenpeace, 27 Mar. 2001)

Fighting free trade laws (Naomi Klein, Guardian [UK], 1 Mar. 2001)

Unsafe toxic ship detained in Europe: Greenpeace demands shipping industry takes responsibility for vessels that reach end of useful life (Greenpeace, 15 Feb. 2001)

Coalition Seeks Judicial Review of Latest NAFTA Ruling (Canadian Alliance on Trade and Environment, 16 Jan. 2001)

2000:

U.S. scheme to dump used mercury in India faces strong opposition (Greenpeace USA, 26 Dec. 2000)

Groups condemn latest blow to environmental protection at the hands of NAFTA (Sierra Club of Canada, 21 Nov. 2000)

Environment groups organise against NAFTA rules (Danielle Knight, Inter Press Service, 8 Sep. 2000)

Adverse effects of the illicit movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes on the enjoyment of human rights: Resolution by U.N. Commission on Human Rights (U.N. Commission on Human Rights, 27 Apr. 2000) 

Adverse effects of the illicit movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes on the enjoyment of human rights: Report by the U.N. Special Rapporteur (Fatma Zohra Ksentini, U.N. Commission on Human Rights, 20 Mar. 2000)

1999:

Toxic Justice: Human Rights, Justice and Toxic Waste in Cambodia (Human Rights Watch, May 1999)

Who Wants Hazardous Waste? (Royal Institute of International Affairs press release about book: J. Krueger, International Trade and the Basel Convention [Royal Institute of International Affairs and Earthscan Publications, 1999])

1998:

Stomping on the Earth: Trade, Trade Law, and Canada's Ecological Footprints (Canadian Environmental Law Association, May 1998)