Basel Efforts in the Fight Against Toxic E-waste Colonialism: What Prospects for Effectiveness?

Abstract

The invasion of developing countries by hazardous e-waste traders in quests for sites to dispose of their consignments of waste is not a recent phenomenon. These activities have continued regardless and in defiance of the Basel Convention as the main global instrument regulating the Transboundary movement of hazardous wastes. This article therefore provides a concise overview of the effectiveness of the Basel Convention in the fight against the Transboundary movement of e-waste from developed Countries to third world countries. Adopting an analytical research method, it is uncovered that even though the Basel Convention is instrumental in the regulation of Transboundary movements of e-waste to developing countries, its effectiveness is marred by inherent loopholes in the convention, namely: the verification problem in the PIC procedure and the recycling and reuse loopholes amongst others. It is argued that in order to halt the movement of e-waste to developing countries, the recycling and reuse loopholes must be mended. The PIC procedure in the Convention must also be manned with monitoring structures.