From May 1 to May 12, Geneva will host the Conferences of the Parties (COPs) to the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions. The EU will work with other nations to decrease hazardous waste, get rid of persistent organic pollutants, and regulate the trade and unauthorized trade of toxic chemicals and trash with the intention of accomplishing its Green Deal goals.

• Seven chemicals' imports and exports will be strongly regulated and engaged through the "Prior Informed Consent" process at the Rotterdam Convention meeting.
• The dangerous chemicals methoxychlor, a pesticide, and UV-328, an ultraviolet filter used in plastics, will be proposed for listing by the Stockholm Convention. With some specified exceptions, countries would be required to stop producing and using these chemicals if they were approved.
• More comprehensive guidance on newest important decisions regarding the management and trading of plastics and electronic waste will be provided by the Basel Convention. This will enable nations to determine whether to allow planned waste movements into and out of their territories.

Virginijus Sinkeviius, the commissioner for environment, oceans, and fisheries, stated:

"To address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, decisive multilateral action is essential. The decisions to be made in the upcoming COPs will have a significant impact on the world's management of waste and chemicals, from creating standards for managing waste made of plastic to better regulating the trade of hazardous chemicals.”

The export of plastic trash from the EU to non-OECD nations will be prohibited under the new regulations for waste shipments, except for clean plastic garbage that is sent for recycling. These regulations are intended to bring an end to the exporting of plastic waste to other countries, many of which lack the ability and standards to handle it sustainably.

Background of waste recycling

According to a survey, in 2022, ecological pollution has crossed over the planetary boundary levels, endangering the sustainability of life and ecosystems around the world. Plastic waste generation has doubled over the last 20 years, while only 9% of it has been recycled globally. Out of 53.6 megatons of e-waste, only 17% are collected and recycled.

Negotiations for a new, legally enforced instrument on plastic pollution, especially that in marine environments, as well as a science-policy panel on chemicals and waste, have been launched by the UN Environment Assembly in 2022.