The Basel Convention regulates international trade in hazardous wastes and their disposal.
Adopted in Basel, Switzerland, on 22 March 1989, the convention was developed in response to growing concern that hazardous waste from industrialized countries was being shipped to countries with weaker environmental controls. It entered into force on 5 May 1992.
The agreement seeks to reduce the generation and cross-border movement of hazardous waste, ensure environmentally sound management, and prevent illegal traffic. In general, shipments covered by the convention require prior informed consent from the receiving and transit countries.
The Basel Convention is often mixed up with the Rotterdam Convention, which governs prior informed consent for certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides in international trade, and the Stockholm Convention, which targets persistent organic pollutants. A 2019 amendment added plastic-waste controls to the Basel framework.