Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) of Persistant Organic Pollutants (POPs) as Wastes

1. Regional Workshop for South America on the Environmentally Sound Destruction of POPs waste and Decontamination of POP Containing Waste in the context of the Basel Convention and the Stockholm Convention.Sao Paolo, 07 – 10 December 2004 Environmentally Sound Management (ESM)of Persistant Organic Pollutants (POPs) as Wastes under the Basel Convention Vincent Jugault, Programme Officer

2. Overview Scopes and mandates of the `chemicals` conventions ESM and the Technical Guidelines on POPs Waste Description of the Basel Convention Technical Guidelines for the ESM of POPs Wastes Description of the Basel Convention Technical Guidelines for the ESM of PCBs, PCTs or PBBs Next steps

3. 1 – Technical scope of the ‘chemicals’ conventions

4. 1 - Obligations under the Basel Convention Art 2.8: ESM « means taking all practicable steps to ensure that hazardous wastes or other wastes are managed in a manner which will protect human health and the environment against the adverse effects which may result from such wastes. » General Obligations (Art. 4) • Generationof hazardous wastes is reduced to a minimum • Availability of adequate disposal facilities • Pollution is prevented when involving the management of hazardous wastes. • Transboundary movement is reduced to a minimum consistent with ESM.

5. 1 - Obligations under the Stockholm Convention Art 6.1: Measures to reduce or eliminate releases from stockpiles and wastes. Each Party shall: • Identify stockpiles of POPs and manage them (handle, collect, transport, store) in an environmentally sound manner • Dispose of in such a way that the POP content is destroyed or irreversibly transformed • Not allow recovery, recycling, reclamation, direct reuse or alternative uses of POPs • Not transport waste across international boundaries without taking into account the Basel Convention • Endeavour to develop appropriate strategies for identifying sites contaminated by POPs

6. 1 - Obligations under the Stockholm Convention Art 6.2: The COP shall cooperate closely with the appropriate bodies of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal to, inter alia: Destruction Efficiency of disposal technologiesEstablish levels of destruction and irreversible transformation necessary to ensure that the characteristics of POPs as specified in paragraph 1 of Annex D are not exhibited. Methods for environmentally sound disposalDetermine what they consider to be the methods that constitute environmentally sound disposal referred to above; and Low POP ContentWork to establish, as appropriate, the concentration levels of the chemicals listed in Annexes A, B, C in order to define the low POP content referred to in paragraph 1 d ii

7. 1 - Life cycle Management of POPs PCTs & PBBs - - - - - - PCBs Non-chlorinated pesticides Basel - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Rotterdam Basel Chlorinated pesticides Stockholm LCM Generation Trade in Products Use (Maintenance) ESM of Wastes (incl. trade, transb.mov., disposal)

8. 2 - ESM and the Technical Guidelines on POPs Waste ESM: ‘a broad policy concept without clear universal definition at the current time’ (2004) ; Several key Basel Convention principles articulated in the 1994 Framework Document on Preparation of Tehnical Guidelines for the ESM of Wastes subject gto the Basel Convention; (General) Technical Guidelines on POPs as Wastes give all general information; Five specific Technical Guidelines on POPs as wastes only give any additional information related to the specific waste streams

9. 2 - Status of Technical Guidelines on POPs waste

10. 2 – (General) Technical Guidelines on POPs waste Provide: • General guidance on the management of waste consosting of, containing or contaminated with POPs; • A Framework for addressing issues referred to in article 6.2 of the Stockholm Convention, on : • Low POP Content • Destruction Efficiency of disposal technologies • Methods for environmentally sound disposal

11. 3 – Technical Guidelines for ESM of POPs Waste Issues to be addressed cooperatively (SC/BC) A - Low POP Content  Defines the « border » between POPs and Non-POPs wastes PCB: 50 mg/kg PCDD/PCDF: 15 μg TEQ/kg All other POPs: 50 mg/kg (aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, HCB, mirex, and toxaphene)

12. B - Levels of Destruction and irreversible transformation Taking into consideration that: • Destruction Efficiency (DE) and Destruction Removal Efficiency (DRE) are a function of the initial POP content and DE is difficult to be measured; • BAT/BEP set safe design and operations, including expected destruction efficiencies, and have not been identified for all disposal methods; • Pertinent national legislation provides information on this matter (Annex II), the lack of data and knowledge; DE = (POP content within waste – POP content within gas, liquid, & solid residual) / POP content within the Waste DRE = (POP content within waste – POP content within gas) / POP content within the Waste

13. B - Levels of Destruction and irreversible transformation Atmospheric emissions: Limit value for PCDD/F emissions to air defined: 0.14 ng TEQ/Nm. All other POPs, in accordance with pertinent national legislation and international rules, standards and guidelines; Aqueous emissions: In accordance with pertinent national legislation and international rules, standards and guidelines; Solid residues: POPs content should be below the agreed low POP contents

14. C - Guidance on ESM IV.B - Legislative and regulatory framework • Definitions of POPs waste • Link phase-out dates for production and use and for disposal • Requirements for transboundary movements and for transport • Health and safety • Analytical and sampling methods for POPs • Requirements for hazardous waste treatment and disposal facilities • General requirement for public participation • Contaminated sites

15. 3 - Guidance on ESM IV.C - Waste Prevention and minimization • elements of a waste prevention and minimization programme: identification of processes, products and articles, actions for the minimization of the volume of wastes, etc; IV.D - Identification and inventories • how to identify POPs wastes, e.g. in obsolete stockpiles and how to prepare a (national) inventory of POPs waste as a basis for follow-up disposal activities IV.E - Sampling, analysis and monitoring • Should be given high priority with respect to both capacity building in developing countries and implementation; • There are hundreds of different methods that can be used. key points are given;

16. 3 - Guidance on ESM IV. F: Handling, collection, packaging, labelling, transportation and storage • Provides for procedures, rules and specific guidance IV. G Environmentally Sound Disposal • Pre-Treatment • Destruction and irreversible transformation methods • Other disposal methods when destruction or irreversible transformation dos not represent the environmentally preferable option (other disposal methods when POP content is low) IV. H – IV. K : Remediation of contaminated sites, Health & Safety, Emergency response, Public participation

17. 3 - Guidance on ESM IV.G: Destruction and irreversible transformation methods • Alkali metal reduction • Base catalysed decompostion (BCD) • Catalytic hydro-dechlorination (CHD) • Cement kiln co-incineration • Gas phase chemical reduction (GPCR) • Hazardous waste incineration • Photo-chemical dechlorination and catalytic dechlorination reaction (PCD and CD) • Plasma arc • Potassium tert-Butoxide method • Super-critical water oxidation (SCWO) and subcritical water oxidation

18. 4 – TG for ESM of PCBs, PCTs, & PBBs • Supersedes de BC TG on Waste Comprising PCB, PCT, PBB (Y10) (February 1997) • Same structure as the ‘General’ TG for ESM of POPs Waste; • To be read in conjunction with the ‘General’ TG for ESM of POPs Waste; • PCTs and PBBs not covered by the Stockholm Convention; • No additional information concerning environmentally sound disposal; • Mixing in order to reach concentrations under the agreed low POPs content is considered NOT environmentally sound;

19. 4 – TG for ESM of PCBs, PCTs, & PBBs Issues that may need additional attention: • Distinction between weigh or surfacic contamination: non porous material versus porous material; • Definition of contaminated metallic parts (p.63); • Risk prevention and fire prevention compared to human exposure through accidental release to the environment and contamination of other waste streams (Seveso, Saint Basile,..etc): hot contamination versus cold contamination (p.73); • Extraction technologies such as solvent washing, are considered pre-treatment technologies: however, these are decontamination technologies (PCB waste to non-PCB waste); • Extraction technologies do not address the decontamination of porous parts (wood) and copper wires;

20. 5 - Next Steps • Development and adoption of the other BC TGs (DDT, pesticides & HCB, Dioxins/Furans); • OEWG IV (June 2005); • Implementation of the adopted Basel Convention Technical Guidelines concerning POPs, ie. POPs wastes, PCBs,.. • training and capacity building: workshops, projects; • NIPs (Stockholm) • Transcription into national legislation • Adoption of parameters on ESM in the context of the Stockholm Convention (COP1, May 2005), ie. Low POPs value, Destruction Efficiency, methods fo environmentally sound disposal;