India implements new measures to control imports of recyclables:

2 weeks ago, the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests has issued a notification with immediate effect regarding the control of imports of recyclables, despite ongoing efforts made by BIR and BIR Ambassador for the Indian sub-continent Ikbal Nathani Group of Companies.

A joint BIR-ISRI visit to the competent authorities in India was made last May in Dehli to try and avoid the implementation of inappropriate controlling measures for non-hazardous recyclables. The new regulation requires to fill in a form and to produce a pre-shipment inspection certificate issued by an inspection agency in case of import of the following Basel non-hazardous wastes - which the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests unilaterally considers to be hazardous.

• B 1010: all ferrous and non-ferrous metals scrap
• B 1040: electrical materials scrap not contaminated
• B 1050: mixed non-ferrous scrap, heavy fraction scrap not contaminated
• B 1100: metal-bearing wastes from smelting and refining
• B 1230: mill scaling from iron & steel manufacture
• B 3020: all paper and cardboard scrap/waste

The BIR had immediately alerted the BIR ambassador in India as well as the ISRI leadership for further action. Questions have already been raised at the E.U. Commission and with UNEP as the incompatibility of these new unilateral measures with the E.U. shipment regulation and the Basel Convention - who do not consider the above materials to be hazardous - are obvious.

Source: RecyclingPortal.EU (Sourced from Bureau of International Recycling). 3 August 2009

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