“If allowed to stand, this [the Technical Guidelines] will be a complete reversal of the Basel Convention obligation to manage all waste to the extent practicable without transboundary movement, and by so doing – could be a devastating blow to the legitimate recycling and refurbishment industry in developed countries, while sending ever more hazardous electronic wastes to developing countries.”

From p. 4 of response by BAN to  Basel Secretariat. 2015. ‘Decision BC-12/5 | Technical Guidelines on Transboundary Movements of Electrical and Electronic Waste and Used Electrical and Electronic Equipment, in Particular Regarding the Distinction between Waste and Non-Waste under the Basel Convention’. http://www.basel.int/TheConvention/ConferenceoftheParties/Meetings/COP12/tabid/4248/mctl/ViewDetails/EventModID/8051/EventID/542/xmid/13027/Default.aspx.

“The management system of e-waste in many developing countries are in the initial stage, thus the development of waste recycling and treatment facility is not yet enough, and repair and refurbishment activities of used electronic products are mainly small workshop mode and largely unregulated in many developing countries. In this case, residual waste including hazardous waste generated in the process of repair and refurbishment of importing used equipment, may not be sound managed and will bring harm to the environment and human health of importing countries normally developing countries.”

From p. 1 of response by China to Basel Secretariat. 2015. ‘Decision BC-12/5 | Technical Guidelines on Transboundary Movements of Electrical and Electronic Waste and Used Electrical and Electronic Equipment, in Particular Regarding the Distinction between Waste and Non-Waste under the Basel Convention’. http://www.basel.int/TheConvention/ConferenceoftheParties/Meetings/COP12/tabid/4248/mctl/ViewDetails/EventModID/8051/EventID/542/xmid/13027/Default.aspx.