Chapter 1.2 General policy context
Notes on this chapter
This chapter examines the broad context within which hazardous waste management
must fit, and looks at the need for behavioural change as well as the drivers for change.
Environmental concerns are enjoying an unprecedented importance in world affairs at
present, with issues like climate change, biodiversity and chemical contamination being
widely discussed. The chapter particularly addresses Sustainable Development, a term and an approach - which is increasingly evident in policy-setting arenas around the world.
The concept followed the World Commission on Environment & Development’s 1987
Brundtland Report (named after Gro Harlem Brundtland, its chairwoman), and the United
Nations Conference on Environment & Development in Rio in 1992 took it forward.
The overheads in this chapter highlight some of the issues, but are not exhaustive. Setting
the management of hazardous waste in the wider context is an important aim of this
training manual.
List of slides
Title slide
Slide 2 Context of hazardous waste management
Slide 3 Sustainable Development
Slide 4 Key terms
Slide 5 Integration
Slide 6 Efficient use of resources
Slide 7 Establishing priorities
Slide 8 Policy framework
Slide 9 Evolution of hazardous waste management
Slide 10 Waste as a Sustainable Development priority
Slide 11 Key actors in waste management
Slide 12 Prevention of hazardous waste
Slide 13 Treatment and disposal of hazardous waste
Slide 14 Life cycle management
Slide 15 Waste technology
Slide 16 The importance of the social factor
Slide 17 Case study: lead batteries
Slide 18 The future
Slide 19 Summary
Background notes
1 The focus on hazardous waste is relatively recent, with developed countries becoming
aware of the issues only as they tightened their broad environmental legislation in the
1970s and 1980s.
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2 A wide range of environmental regulations and initiatives is now in place worldwide.
Only a few of these specifically address hazardous wastes, but many have important
implications for its management.
3 While environmental and waste regulations differ between countries, a number of
supra-national agreements have now been proposed or reached, and there is a trend for
more conformity of legislation between nations.
4 International organisations such as UNEP and OECD are increasingly involved in
issues relating to hazardous waste management, and are providing support for countries
whose environmental controls still need to be developed. This is facilitating information
exchange and technology transfer.
5 The Basel Convention is one example of an international agreement which has had a
major influence on hazardous wastes practices through its implementation in national
laws of parties to the convention.
6 In the past, environmental concerns were considered to be separate from business and
economic issues, and also from development and social conditions. Sustainable
Development aims to advance economic, social and environmental conditions in concert,
in an integrated manner.
7 In part as a result of this movement, there is a trend for ‘prevention’ policies in
preference to policies which address problems once they have arisen. This trend has
particular relevance to hazardous waste policies.
8 Waste recycling has become a standard component of waste management policies
worldwide, and requirements for producers to take responsibility for their products at the
end of their useful life are also becoming widespread.
Sources of further information
Agenda 21 available at www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd
Jackson, Tim (1993) Clean Production strategies: developing preventative environmental
management in the industrial economy Lewis Publishers ISBN 0-87371-884-4
Schmidheiny, S (1992) Changing course: a global business perspective on development
and the environment MIT Press ISBN 02-621-9318-3
UNEP Global Environmental Outlook, United Nations Environment Programme
www.unep.org
von Weizsäcker, E; Lovins, A & Lovins, L H (1997) Factor Four- doubling wealth,
halving resource use, Earthscan ISBN 1-85383-407-6
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Web sites
United Nations Environment Programme, Division of Technology, Industry and
Economics www.uneptie.org
International Solid Waste Association www.ISWA.org
The Basel Convention www.basel.int
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