New Zealand blocking international waste convention
Green Co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons today said New Zealand appeared to be dragging the chain on ratifying an amendment
to an international treaty designed to stop OECD countries exporting their hazardous waste to developing countries.
The amendment is formally known as the Ban Amendment to the Basel Convention but is better known as the Basel Ban.
Ms Fitzsimons will challenged the Minister for the Environment Marian Hobbs during question time this afternoon on New
Zealand's position on this treaty, and when the Government plans to sign it.
"Around 500 million tonnes of hazardous waste is produced each year, most of it by OECD countries. To avoid high
disposal costs due to environmental standards at home, much of this waste continues to be dumped on developing countries
which do not have environmental protection legislation.
"The Basel Ban does not prohibit hazardous waste being transferred between OECD member countries but it does ensure that
non-OECD countries are no longer dumping grounds for dangerous waste from the developed world.
"We are concerned that at the current meetings in Geneva on implementing the Basel Convention New Zealand appears to be
working with other opponents of the ban, such as the United States and Australia, to actively oppose it," she said.
Ms Fitzsimons said the treaty was important as developing countries did not have the capacity, the skills or the
standards to ensure that hazardous waste was treated and stored appropriately. The Minister was unable to tell the House
today whether New Zealand does any monitoring of the health and environmental effects in developing countries of the
industrial waste we export, such as scrap electronic waste containing a highly toxic cocktail of heavy metals. Stories
abound of 'recycling' operations in peoples' kitchens and bathrooms, exposing people and the environment to high levels
of pollution.
"To prevent these risks New Zealand has already ratified the regional Waigani Convention that applies in the South
Pacific. I cannot understand why we do not ratify the virtually identical Basel Ban, extending this protection to all
non-OECD countries.
"Opposing this treaty is opposing the environmentally sound management of waste and the protection of developing
countries from rich nations' waste. The Greens call on this Government to take some responsibility for the consequences
of our own economic activity, and sign this convention," said Ms Fitzsimons.
Ms Fitzsimons will be following up this issue with written questions.