Transboundary Waste Shipments
Every cross-border waste shipment is classified against the Basel Convention lists: Y-codes name the waste categories, the A-list marks hazardous (amber) wastes, and the B-list marks the non-hazardous (green) recovery commodities.
170 codes · 3 lists · incl. 2021 plastics + 2025 e-waste amendmentsGreen control (B-list)
Non-hazardous wastes destined for recovery move under general information requirements — an Annex VII document accompanies the shipment, no prior consent needed within the OECD/EU.
Amber control (A-list + Annex II)
Hazardous and "other" wastes require the prior-informed-consent procedure: written notification to and consent from every competent authority — dispatch, transit and destination — before the first movement.
In the EU these lists apply through the Waste Shipment Regulation (2024/1157, replacing 1013/2006). Contamination flips a stream from green to amber — the code on paper is only the starting point.
The waste categories every Basel notification and movement document references: Y1-Y18 name waste streams (clinical, mineral oils, tarry residues), Y19-Y45 name hazardous constituents (mercury, lead, organohalogens), and Y46-Y49 cover the "other wastes" — household waste, plastics and e-waste — brought under control by the 2021 and 2025 amendments.
Wastes characterized as hazardous for transboundary movement. Shipping an A-listed waste requires the prior-informed-consent (notification) procedure: written notification to, and consent from, every competent authority involved before the first movement.
Wastes not considered hazardous unless contaminated: the tradeable recovery commodities — metal scrap, paper, glass, textiles, tyres, clean plastics. Green-listed shipments for recovery move under general information requirements (Annex VII document) instead of full notification.
Shipment paperwork pairs Basel codes with national classifications: the European Waste Catalogue inside the EU, and EPA RCRA codes for US imports and exports.
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