Before revision: Following a petition urging action on the issue signed by more than a million people around the world, most of the world's countries, but not the United States, agreed in May 2019 to an amendment of the Basel Convention to include plastic waste as regulated material.UN Environment Programme, 12 May 2019 "Governments Agree Landmark Decisions to Protect People and Planet from Hazardous Chemicals and Waste, Including Plastic Waste "Phys.org, 10 May 2019 "180 Nations Agree UN Deal to Regulate Export of Plastic Waste " Although the United States is not a party to the treaty, export shipments of plastic waste from the United States are now "criminal traffic as soon as the ships get on the high seas," according to the Basel Action Network (BAN), and carriers of such shipments may face liability, because the transportation of plastic waste is prohibited in just about every other country.The Maritime Executive, 14 March 2021 "Report: U.S.
After revision: Following a petition urging action on the issue signed by more than a million people around the world, most of the world's countries, but not the United States, agreed in May 2019 to an amendment of the Basel Convention to include plastic waste as regulated material.UN Environment Programme, 12 May 2019 "Governments agree landmark decisions to protect people and planet from hazardous chemicals and waste, including plastic waste "Phys.org, 10 May 2019 "180 nations agree UN deal to regulate export of plastic waste,,, " Although the United States is not a party to the treaty, export shipments of plastic waste from the United States are now "criminal traffic as soon as the ships get on the high seas," according to the Basel Action Network (BAN), and carriers of such shipments may face liability, because the transportation of plastic waste is prohibited in just about every other country.The Maritime Executive, 14 March 2021 "Report: U.S.