Limits for definition of POPs Waste Proposed by IPEN

POPs waste is defined, according Article 6 of the Stockholm Convention, by setting Low POPs Content Levels (LPCLs). This establishes an important kind of “limit value” because POPs waste should be treated such that POPs are either destroyed or irreversibly transformed. They cannot be landfilled, reused, or recycled, because POPs content in that waste would also be recycled and thus would not stop this chemical pollution from entering the environment. Neither can POPs waste be exported to countries lacking the capacity for its destruction or transformation, which in most cases means it cannot be exported from developed to developing countries.

Currently there are set provisional Low POPs Content Levels for POPs already listed under the Stockholm Convention for a longer time. Some of these “provisional” levels are not safe and do not meet requirements to protect health and environment. They were set under pressure from economic interests in certain industrial sectors.

Read the fact sheet below for details