§ Mr. DoverTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what legal prohibitions relate to the transport and disposal of refuse from the Isle of Man to the United Kingdom. [1056]
§ Mr. ClappisonIn May 1994, the United Kingdom became a party to the Basel convention on the control of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal. The Isle of Man is not yet a party to the convention. Shipments of waste between parties and non-parties to the convention are prohibited, except where covered by a bilateral, multilateral or regional agreement or arrangement complying with article 11 of the convention.
Imports of waste from the Isle of Man into the United Kingdom for disposal are therefore currently prohibited. The British Government and the Government of the Isle of Man are in the process of concluding a bilateral agreement, under article 11 of the convention, which 42W would allow imports into the United Kingdom of specific hazardous wastes for which the Isle of Man lacks suitable disposal facilities.
Waste may also be transported for recovery purposes. The OECD decision concerning the control of transfrontier movements of wastes destined for recovery operations constitutes a multilateral agreement for the purpose of article 11 of the Basel convention. Both the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man are covered by the OECD decision. Shipments of waste for recovery between the Isle of Man and the United Kingdom are therefore allowed, subject to the relevant control regime prescribed in the OECD decision.