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Basel Convention

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Missing in action: The Maersk Campton switched off its automatic identification system. Photo: Alamy
BASEL ACTION NETWORK

The curious case of the missing Maersk shipping container

A ship, possibly carrying hazardous dust, failed to dock in Cape Town before switching off its location transmission

  • Sheree Bega
13 min read
Stuck: The department of forestry, fisheries and the environment does not support establishing a new multilateral environmental agreement on plastics, according to a leaked document, and to the dismay of environmentalists. Photo: Paul Botes
ALBI MODISE

Plastic: South Africa is 11th-biggest litterbug

The country risks ‘pariah status’ for approach to global plastic waste crisis

  • Sheree Bega
6 min read
The first round of plastic treaty negotiations saw positive outcomes but oil producing countries, at the behest of big oil and petrochemical companies, could dominate the treaty discussions. (Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
BASEL CONVENTION

South Africa won’t support proposed global plastic ban treaty, draft document reveals

Critics say the environment department’s argument that the treaty would be a duplication of existing agreements is flawed

  • Sheree Bega
6 min read
Globally, nearly 180-million tonnes of hazardous and household waste are generated around the world every year.
ABIDJAN

Africa must tell the rest of the world that we are not their dumping ground

The continent has long received more than its fair share of the world’s toxic waste, endangering the health of people who are exposed to it

  • Inger Andersen
4 min read
BASEL CONVENTION

Hazard of old cellphones under spotlight at UN meet

The disposal of massive numbers of unwanted cellphones will be a key focus of a five-day meeting on waste management that started on Monday.

  • Staff Reporter
2 min read