Jakarta (Greeners) – At least 187 nations took one massive step to control plastic trade crisis by including plastic in Basel Convention, a treaty which controls waste and hazardous waste movement from one country to other country, especially developed country to developing country.

On May 10, United Nations for Environment or UNEP in Geneva, Switzerland, agreed on the amendment of Basel Convention to request plastic waste exporter to have consents from recipient countries. The amendment is an important tool to stop unwanted plastic waste disposal from developed countries to developing countries.

“This year’s Basel Convention is encouraging countries which export plastic waste to send letters beforehand on what type of plastic so that the recipients will be able to look at the quota and its ability to recycle plastic waste. If they’re approve and agree then they can shipped them, if not then the recipients have the right to reject. So, it is basically right to know, not just sent them over,” said executive director of Ecoton, Prigi Arisandi, in Jakarta on Thursday (16/05/2019). “Second, plastics that are sent must be clean because all of this time developed countries only want to sent but not sort them out. Those two keys must be known.”

READ ALSO: Ministry of Environment and Forestry Urges Revision on Ministry of Trade’s Regulation on Plastic Waste Import 

Arisandi said that plastic waste disposal issue has yet to be regulated specifically in Indonesia. In the customs, director general of customs only applies green line and red line to check on the products entering the country.

“In our customs, the products and ingredients must be checked not just scanned through two categories, green line and red line. But, because we need those import products, they are included in the green line, meanwhile they’re bad quality, there are various contamination, such as hazardous materials, drugs substances, and other. Hence the smuggling because the entrance permit only based on those two categories,” he said.

Furthermore, he said that Basel Convention can reduce pollution in lands and oceans in Indonesia.

“We can monitor plastic waste trade and encourage government to manage and control plastic waste to be imported accordingly. We encourage for countries exporting plastic waste to comply with their regulation to manage waste in their country and not dump them in southern countries and Indonesian government to strengthen plastic waste entrance,” he said.

READ ALSO: Indonesia Potentially Becomes World’s Largest Plastic Waste Importer 

Despite of the amendment receive supports, there are countries oppose plastic waste in the Annex II of Basel Convention, such as US, the largest plastic waste exporter in the world.

American Chemistry Council, lobbyists from petrochemical industry in the US, and Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, an association for waste business brokers.

“Just a reminder that this convention is not sanction, especially if US refuses Basel Convention, then the consequence is that US will not be allowed to do plastic waste trade with developing countries which are parties of Basel Convention, but not members of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. So, there will be loopholes, that is why don’t be weak and brave enough to reject. No more plastic waste smuggling,” he said.

Reports by Dewi Purningsih

Jakarta (Greeners) – With bad management of plastic waste import, Ministry of Environment and Forestry urges Ministry of Trade to revise its ministerial regulation issued in 2016 on import regulation on non-toxic and hazardous waste.

The step is needed for plastic waste import not to become the burden of Indonesia’s waste management.

Based on a press release, there are five recommendations from Minister of Environment and Forestry, Siti Nurbaya, to Minister of Trade, during a working meeting with Commission VII of House of Representatives on Wednesday (15/05/2019) in Jakarta.

First recommendation is the tariff post for plastic scraps non-toxic and hazardous waste imports should not be applied under Code HS miscellaneous, so that plastic scraps imported will not be mixed with non-recyclable plastic scraps.

Second, there will be no addition for new imports on non-toxic and hazardous plastic scraps waste.

Third, restrictions on import quota for those already operating for the next five years. Fourth, to minimize imports on pellets/chips. Fifth, recyclable products must not in the forms of plastic bags.

READ ALSO: Indonesia Potentially Becomes World’s Largest Plastic Waste Importer 

Furthermore, Minister Siti said that the reason to revise the ministerial regulation is based on the 2008 Law on Waste Management which bans each person to bring waste into the country and the 2009 Law on Environment Protection and Management which bans each person to bring waste from outside the country to Indonesia’s environment, and the 2016 Minister of Trade Regulation which stipulates that allowed non-toxic and hazardous waste importation only for used plastic, plastic waste, and plastic scraps and requires recommendation from ministry of environment and forestry.

“The request to be acknowledge as Non-Toxic and Hazardous Waste Producers Importers from ministry of trade is in accordance with the 2016 Ministry of Trade which needs to submit recommendation from ministry of environment and forestry through director general of waste, toxic and hazardous waste management. It is stipulated under the letter of order for deputy of toxic and hazardous management,” said Minister Siti.

On the case of plastic waste mixed in the used paper import packages found in Surabaya, Rosa Vivien Ratnawati, director general of toxic and hazardous waste management at the ministry, said that plastic import permit authority lies in the customs and ministry of trade.

Ratnawati said that within the recommendation from ministry of environment and forestry, code HS for plastic entering in Indonesia is plastic already clean chopped.

“Ministry of environment and forestry granted the recommendation to the company for import. However, if the company is allegedly import illegally, then we will revoke the recommendation and permit. Currently, the case is being investigated by ministry of trade, we couldn’t revoke recommendations from those companies,” said Ratnawati to Greeners.

READ ALSO: Amid Lawsuits, Regional Administrations Push on Policy to Reduce Plastic Waste 

Furthermore, she said that for plastic waste import, plastic allowed to enter is the form of scraps and clean, the scraps are used for finished goods, meaning they will not be sold, and local plastic ingredients in the composition must be 50 percent.

In addition, there’s a signing of integrity fact from companies.

“So, if there’s a company illegally importing, the supervision is under ministry of trade. We just provide recommendation based on ministry of trade’s permit. We recommend to revise the ministry’s regulation to control illegal plastic scraps into the country and against the regulations,” she said.

The 2009 Law, 2008 Law, and 2016 Ministry Trade’s Regulation regulate plastic waste imports. The regulation include clean scraps and not contaminated with toxic and hazardous waste, they must be sorted and don’t mix with other wastes, and don’t come from landfills or considered as wastes, they must be finished goods, and import documents must be include survey results from operation cooperation.

Reports by Dewi Purningsih