The INECE SESN facilitated an International Hazardous Waste Inspection Project at Seaports during June and July 2010. The simultaneous inspection exercise involved environmental, customs, and other enforcement authorities from Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. The inspections resulted in the detection of illegal shipments of hazardous wastes, including electronic waste.

Designed primarily as a capacity building exercise, preparation and training of enforcement officers prior to the event were also keys to its success. Most of the countries that participated in the INECE SESN Inspection Project organized a preparatory meeting for the various involved authorities used to introduce officers to the project procedures, to agree on inspection dates and methods, and to strengthen collaboration among the involved authorities. 

The inspections resulted in the detection of illegal shipments of hazardous wastes, including electronic waste. Of the 74 total targeted inspections conducted during the inspection project, 53% discovered non-compliance with applicable rules and regulations. The illegal waste streams most often encountered during the event were: electronic waste (e-waste) wrongly declared as secondhand goods, waste batteries wrongly described as plastic or mixed metal scrap, cathode ray tubes from television and computer monitors wrongly described as plastic or metal scrap, and refrigerators containing chlorofluorocarbons.

Recommendations that emerged from the Inspection Project are discussed in detail in the Inspection Project report. They  include facilitating future inspection projects; providing capacity building for relevant authorities at seaports; communicating INECE’s environmental compliance and enforcement expertise to countries working to shape more effective domestic programs; and continuing to build partnerships that promote cooperation and collaboration at seaports.

The SESN Inspection Project was covered by the Environmental News Network, by the American Recycler , and the Africa Institute Basel Convention Regional Center, among other publications.

Final Report on the Project:

• International Hazardous Waste Inspection Project at Seaports: Results and Recommendations (released December 21, 2010)
• Press Release: Global Crackdown on Illegal Hazardous Waste Shipping Confirms Benefits of Cross-Border Cooperation, November 2010.

Questions about the Exercise?
For more information on the Seaport Network, see http://inece.org/seaport/.

Contact Danielle Grabiel, Project Manager, SESN, at dgrabiel at inece.org or +1-202-338-1300 for more information on the International Hazardous Waste Inspection Month at Seaports or other questions related to the Seaport network.

Collaboration among authorities
was a key to success.