b. Promotion of the use of regulatory and market mechanisms;
c. Establishment of an intermediate goal for the stabilization of the quantity of hazardous
waste generated;
d. Establishment of long -term programmes and policies including targets where appropriate
for reducing the amount of hazardous waste produced per unit of manufacture;
e. Achievement of a qualitative improvement of waste streams, mainly through activities
aimed at reducing their hazardous characteristics;
f. Facilitation of the establishment of cost -effective policies and approaches to hazardous
waste prevention and management, taking into consideration the state of development of
each country.
Activities
(a) Management-related activities
20.13. The following activities should be undertaken:
a. Governments should establish or modify standards or purchasing specifications to avoid
discrimination against recycled materials, provided that those materials are
environmentally sound;
b. Governments, according to their possibilities and with the help of multilateral
cooperation, should provide economic or regulatory incentives, where appropriate, to
stimulate industrial innovation towards cleaner production meth ods, to encourage
industry to invest in preventive and/or recycling technologies so as to ensure
environmentally sound management of all hazardous wastes, including recyclable wastes,
and to encourage waste minimization investments;
c. Governments should int ensify research and development activities on cost -effective
alternatives for processes and substances that currently result in the generation of
hazardous wastes that pose particular problems for environmentally sound disposal or
treatment, the possibilit y of ultimate phase -out of those substances that present an
unreasonable or otherwise unmanageable risk and are toxic, persistent and bio -
accumulative to be considered as soon as practicable. Emphasis should be given to
alternatives that could be economica lly accessible to developing countries;
d. Governments, according to their capacities and available resources and with the
cooperation of the United Nations and other relevant organizations and industries, as
appropriate, should support the establishment of domestic facilities to handle hazardous
wastes of domestic origin;
e. Governments of developed countries should promote the transfer of environmentally
sound technologies and know -how on clean technologies and low -waste production to
developing countries in conformity with chapter 34, which will bring about changes to
sustain innovation. Governments should cooperate with industry to develop guidelines
and codes of conduct, where appropriate, leading to cleaner production through sectoral
trade industry associ ations;
f. Governments should encourage industry to treat, recycle, reuse and dispose of wastes at
the source of generation, or as close as possible thereto, whenever hazardous waste
generation is unavoidable and when it is both economically and environmenta lly efficient
for industry to do so;
g.
Governments should encourage technology assessments, for example through the use of
technology assessment centres;
h.
Governments should promote cleaner production through the establishment of centres
providing training and information on environmentally sound technologies;
i.
Industry should establish environmental management systems, including environmental
auditing of its production or distribution sites, in order to identify where the installation
of cleaner production methods is needed;
j.
A relevant and competent United Nations organization should take the lead, in
cooperation with other organizations, to develop guidelines for estimating the costs and
benefits of various approaches to the adoption of cleaner production and waste
minimization and environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes, including
rehabilitation of contaminated sites, taking into account, where appropriate, the report of
the 1991 Nairobi meeting of government -designated experts on an international strategy
and an action programme, including technical guidelines for the environmentally sound
management of hazardous wastes; in particular in the context of the work of the Basel
Convention, being developed under the UNEP secretariat;
k.
Governments should establish regulations that lay down the ultimate responsibility of
industries for environmentally sound disposal of the hazardous wastes their activities
generate.
(b) Data and information
20.14.
The following activities should be undertaken:
a.
Governments, assisted by international organizations, should establish mechanisms for
assessing the value of existing information systems;
b.
Governments should establish nationwide and regional information collection and
dissemination clearing-houses and networks that are easy for Government institutions and
industry and other non-governmental organizations to access and use;
c.
International organizations, through the UNEP Cleaner Production programme and
ICPIC, should extend and strengthen existing systems for collection of cleaner production
information;
d.
All United Nations organs and organizations should promote the use and dissemination of
information collected through the Cleaner Production network;
e.
OECD should, in cooperation with other organizations, undertake a comprehensive
survey of, and disseminate information on, experiences of member countries in adopting
economic regulatory schemes and incentive mechanisms for hazardous waste
management and for the use of clean technologies that prevent such waste from being
generated;
f.
Governments should encourage industries to be transparent in their operations and
provide relevant information to the communities that might be affected by the generation,
management and disposal of hazardous wastes.
(c) International and regional cooperation and coordination
20.15. International/regional cooperation should encourage the ratification by States of the Basel and Bamako Conventions and promote the implementation of those Conventions. Regional cooperation will be necessary for the development of similar conventions in regions other than Africa, if so required. In addition there is a need for effective coordination of international regional and national
policies and instruments. Another activity proposed is cooperating in monitoring the effects of the management of hazardous wastes.
Means of implementation
(a) Financing and cost evaluation
20.16. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993-2000) of implementing the activities of this programme to be about $750 million from the international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and order-of-magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are non-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.
(b) Scientific and technological means
20.17.
The following activities related to technology development and research should be undertaken:
a.
Governments, according to their capacities and available resources and with the
cooperation of the United Nations and other relevant organizations, and industries, as
appropriate, should significantly increase financial support for cleaner technology
research and development programmes, including the use of biotechnologies;
b.
States, with the cooperation of international organizations where appropriate, should
encourage industry to promote and undertake research into the phase-out of the processes
that pose the greatest environmental risk based on hazardous wastes generated;
c.
States should encourage industry to develop schemes to integrate the cleaner production
approach into design of products and management practices;
d.
States should encourage industry to exercise environmentally responsible care through
hazardous waste reduction and by ensuring the environmentally sound reuse, recycling
and recovery of hazardous wastes, as well as their final disposal.
(c) Human resource development
20.18.
The following activities should be undertaken:
a.
Governments, international organizations and industry should encourage industrial
training programmes, incorporating hazardous waste prevention and minimization
techniques and launching demonstration projects at the local level to develop "success
stories" in cleaner production;
b.
Industry should integrate cleaner production principles and case examples into training
programmes and establish demonstration projects/networks by sector/country;
c.
All sectors of society should develop cleaner production awareness campaigns and
promote dialogue and partnership with industry and other actors.
(d) Capacity-building
20.19.
The following activities should be undertaken:
a.
Governments of developing countries, in cooperation with industry and with the
cooperation of appropriate international organizations, should develop inventories of
hazardous waste production, in order to identify their needs with respect to technology
transfer and implementation of measures for the sound management of hazardous wastes
and their disposal;
b. Governments should include in national planning and legislation an integrated approach
to environmental protection, driven by prevention and source reduction criteria, taking
into account the "polluter pays" principle, and adopt program mes for hazardous waste
reduction, including targets and adequate environmental control;
c. Governments should work with industry on sector -by-sector cleaner production and
hazardous waste minimization campaigns, as well as on the reduction of such wastes an d
other emissions;
d. Governments should take the lead in establishing and strengthening, as appropriate,
national procedures for environmental impact assessment, taking into acount the cradle -
to-grave approach to the management of hazardous wastes, in order to identify options
for minimizing the generation of hazardous wastes, through safer handling, storage,
disposal and destruction;
e. Governments, in collaboration with industry and appropriate international organizations,
should develop procedures for monit oring the application of the cradle to grave approach,
including environmental audits;
f. Bilateral and multilateral development assistance agencies should substantially increase
funding for cleaner technology transfer to developing countries, including smal l- and
medium-sized enterprises.
B. Promoting and strengthening institutional capacities in hazardous waste management
Basis for action
20.20. Many countries lack the national capacity to handle and manage hazardous wastes. This is primarily due to inadequat e infrastructure, deficiencies in regulatory frameworks, insufficient education and training programmes and lack of coordination between the different ministries and institutions involved in various aspects of waste management. In addition, there is a lack of knowledge about environmental contamination and pollution and the associated health risk from the exposure of populations, especially women and children, and ecosystems to hazardous wastes; assessment of risks; and the characteristics of wastes. Steps need to be taken immediately to identify populations at high risk and to take remedial measures, where necessary. One of the main priorities in ensuring environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes is to provide awareness, education and training programmes covering all levels of society. There is also a need to undertake research programmes to understand the nature of hazardous wastes, to identify their potential environmental effects and to develop technologies to safely handle those wastes. Finall y, there is a need to strengthen the capacities of institutions that are responsible for the management of hazardous wastes.
Objectives
20.21. The objectives in this programme area are:
a. To adopt appropriate coordinating, legislative and regulatory measures a t the national
level for the environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes, including the
implementation of international and regional conventions;
b. To establish public awareness and information programmes on hazardous waste issues
and to ensure that basic education and training programmes are provided for industry and
government workers in all countries;
c. To establish comprehensive research programmes on hazardous wastes in countries;
d. To strengthen service industries to enable them to handle hazard ous wastes, and to build
up international networking;
e.
To develop endogenous capacities in all developing countries to educate and train staff at
all levels in environmentally sound hazardous waste handling and monitoring and in
environmentally sound management;
f.
To promote human exposure assessment with respect to hazardous waste sites and
identify the remedial measures required;
g.
To facilitate the assessment of impacts and risks of hazardous wastes on human health
and the environment by establishing appropriate procedures, methodologies, criteria
and/or effluent-related guidelines and standards;
h.
To improve knowledge regarding the effects of hazardous wastes on human health and
the environment;
i.
To make information available to Governments and to the general public on the effects of
hazardous wastes, including infectious wastes, on human health and the environment.
Activities
(a) Management-related activities
20.22.
The following activities should be undertaken:
a.
Governments should establish and maintain inventories, including computerized
inventories, of hazardous wastes and their treatment/disposal sites, as well as of
contaminated sites that require rehabilitation, and assess exposure and risk to human
health and the environment; they should also identify t he measures required to clean up
the disposal sites. Industry should make the necessary information available;
b.
Governments, industry and international organizations should collaborate in developing
guidelines and easy-to-implement methods for the characterization and classification of
hazardous wastes;
c.
Governments should carry out exposure and health assessments of populations residing
near uncontrolled hazardous waste sites and initiate remedial measures;
d.
International organizations should develop improved health-based criteria, taking into
account national decision-making processes, and assist in the preparation of practical
technical guidelines for the prevention, minimization and safe handling and disposal of
hazardous wastes;
e.
Governments of developing countries should encourage interdisciplinary and
intersectoral groups, in cooperation with international organizations and agencies, to
implement training and research activities related to evaluation, prevention and control of
hazardous waste health risks. Such groups should serve as models to develop similar
regional programmes;
f.
Governments, according to their capacities and available resources and with the
cooperation of the United Nations and other relevant organizations as appropriate, should
encourage as far as possible the establishment of combined treatment/disposal facilities
for hazardous wastes in small- and medium-sized industries;
g.
Governments should promote identification and clean-up of sites of hazardous wastes in
collaboration with industry and international organizations. Technologies, expertise and
financing should be available for this purpose, as far as possible and when appropriate
with the application of the "polluter pays" principle;