The Basel Convention now controls the hazardous waste trade. In some cases, industry's response has been to export itself rather than the waste, relocating to countries where controls on pollution and waste disposal are less strong than at home. Western consumers do not want reminding of the pollution that is, to some degree, inseparable from their lifestyles and so may turn a blind eye to the dirty part of the production business going to poorer countries. And so are the wastes themselves. The OECD waste hierarchy shows the way out, by giving the highest priorities to reusing waste and, even better, cutting the amount that is produced in the first place.
Clean technologies minimize waste and make better use of raw materials.
Waste can become a resource. But some companies have advanced well down this road. Many consumer products contain hazardous chemicals. Such 'household chemical wastes' are increasing. There is little information about their extent, but The Netherlands is estimated to produce 41,000 tonnes of them a year.