Practical manuals on promoting the environmentally sound management wastes

The practical manuals on promoting the environmentally sound management of wastes provide concise guidance with a strong practical emphasis on key topical areas of the environmentally sound management of hazardous and other wastes.

At its first and successive meetings, as well as intersessionally, the expert working group on environmentally sound management developed a set of five practical manuals on the following topics: terminology; general policies and legislation; permits, licenses or authorizations; certification schemes; and waste prevention.

The set of manuals was submitted to the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, which agreed to include provision for their further development and finalization in the work programme of the group. Subsequently, the expert working group prepared a revised version of the five manuals and submitted them to the tenth meeting of the Open-ended Working Group for its consideration. The latter welcomed the work undertaken by the expert working group and set out a process through which parties and others were invited to comment on and test the revised manuals (decision OEWG-10/2). The Open-ended Working Group also requested that the set of five practical manuals be submitted to the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties for its consideration and possible adoption.

The development of a sixth manual on insurance and liability was commenced by the expert working group but not yet finalized. The group postponed finalization of this draft manual until related work under the Implementation and Compliance Committee is completed.

The work programme of the expert working group also provides for the development of two new practical manuals on extended producer responsibility and financing. A draft outline of the two manuals was submitted to the tenth meeting of the Open-ended Working Group. Following comments from the Open-ended Working Group, the expert working group developed drafts of the manuals and made them available to Parties and others for comment on 31 October 2016. At its sixth meeting, the expert working group further developed the manuals on extended producer responsibility and financing for submission to the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties for its consideration.

Practical manuals

Title
 Content
 Document
Terminology
(Draft document)		 The practical manual on terminology is intended to assist parties in understanding the practical manuals by defining the terminology used in these manuals. The provided definitions do not have broader application or represent an interpretation of the Basel Convention. The manual has been developed in consideration of the work undertaken by the small intersessional working group on legal clarity.
General policies and legislation
(Draft document)		 The practical manual on general policies and legislation seeks to describe policy, legal and institutional measures that may help parties in implementing the Basel Convention and the obligation to ensure environmentally sound management of hazardous and other wastes. The target audience are policy makers, legislators, focal points and competent authorities.
Permits, licenses or authorizations
(Draft document)
 The practical manual on permits, licenses or authorizations provides an overview on procedures and requirements associated with permits, licenses and authorizations for waste management facilities. It covers the main steps for establishing permits, licenses or authorization procedures, examples of requirements related to environmentally sound management, and information on monitoring facilities.
Certification schemes
(Draft document) 		The practical manual on certification schemes provides guidance to policymakers, regulators, facility managers, consumers and the general public on the role of standards and certification in implementing environmentally sound management at the global level. The manual covers the different uses of such standards, key performance elements, quality assurance and the use of standards for waste management.
Waste prevention
(Draft document) 		The practical manual on waste prevention provides stakeholders with general guidance on waste prevention principles, strategies, measures and tools. The target audience includes all stakeholders, in particular government authorities developing national strategies for environmentally sound management of wastes, and waste generators interested in reducing the generated amounts and/or hazard potential of their wastes.
Extended producer responsibility (EPR)
(Draft document) 		This manual provides stakeholders with general guidance on the implementation of extended producer responsibility (EPR). It includes a list of terminology used in the manual; general considerations; goals and objectives; criteria for possible products; key elements to be considered; a strategy to formulate policy; as well as challenges in the implementation of EPR.
Financing systems
(Draft document) 		This manual provides an overview of the costs associated with ESM and examines the various financing methods and mechanisms available, including the pros and cons associated with each financial mechanism.