RI, Singapore to regulate hazardous waste shipment

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's and Singapore's ministers of environment signed yesterday a memorandum of agreement on the shipment of hazardous waste between the two countries.

The agreement, the details of which have yet to be worked out, covers the supervision of the import and export of toxic waste in accordance with the Basel Convention on hazardous waste.

"The agreement will facilitate development of preventive measures to protect both countries from the negative effects of illegal hazardous waste disposal activities," said Indonesian Minister of Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja.

Sarwono and his Singaporean counterpart Teo Chee Hean signed the memorandum of understanding on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes at Hotel Indonesia.

The agreement was signed at the end of the second Indonesia- Singapore Joint Committee on the Environment meeting that ended yesterday.

The agreement, which adopts the 1994 Basel Convention, includes regulations on the transit of hazardous waste, joint cooperation on the resolution of illegal waste shipments, exchange of information on pollution, and environmental management research and training programs.

It was made to foster understanding of both countries' management of waste shipments. While Indonesia signed the Basel Convention in April 1994, Singapore has yet to sign.

The Basel Convention on the Total Ban of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and other Disposals has been ratified by 64 countries, including Indonesia. It gives three- years' leeway before enforcing a total ban by the ratifying countries.

Major industrialized countries, including the United States, Japan, Canada and Australia, among the world's biggest exporters of industrial waste, have stayed away from the convention.

Under the agreement, Sarwono said waste shipments could be directly controlled by both countries. In the case of tank cleaning, for example, Singapore can now refuse empty tanks if they are not accompanied by details on who cleaned the tanks, and where and when they had been cleaned. (03)