Colombia Imposes Strict New Controls on Hazardous Waste Shipments Under Basel Convention Rules

Colombia has introduced sweeping new rules to govern the movement of hazardous and other controlled wastes across its borders, in one of the most substantial overhauls of national waste regulations in nearly two decades. The measures are outlined in Resolution 1519, published by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development.

The resolution updates Colombia’s legal framework to bring it in line with the Basel Convention, the OECD waste control system, and recent international amendments covering plastic waste and electronic waste (e-waste). It replaces a 2006 regulation that officials say no longer reflected global environmental standards.

ANLA to Oversee All Cross-Border Waste Movements

Under the new rules, the National Authority for Environmental Licensing (ANLA) is granted full responsibility for authorising, denying, and monitoring all transboundary shipments of hazardous and other controlled waste. The authority must ensure that movements comply with both domestic regulations and the complex notification and consent procedures required under the Basel Convention. The resolution applies to all individuals and companies involved in exporting or importing waste.

Tightened Controls on Plastics, Electronic Waste, and OECD Shipments

A major focus of the regulation is the incorporation of recent amendments to the Basel Convention that place new restrictions on:

• Plastic waste (BC-14/12)
• Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) (BC-15/18)

Exports of certain hazardous plastics and electronic waste to OECD countries must now follow the Amber Control Procedure, the stricter of two regulatory mechanisms used by the OECD. The resolution specifies that waste codes A1181, A2060, AC300, and those equivalent to Basel entry A3210, are to be treated as hazardous and therefore subject to the highest level of scrutiny. Other types of recyclable waste classified under the OECD’s Green Control Procedure may move more freely between member states, though the government notes it may impose additional national controls in future.

Import Ban on Hazardous Waste Reaffirmed

The regulation reiterates Colombia’s longstanding ban on the importation or trafficking of hazardous waste, except when the waste is demonstrably non-hazardous according to national classification systems. This prohibition, originally embedded in Law 1252 of 2008, remains one of the strictest in Latin America.

Transparency Measures and Implementation Timeline

To improve compliance, the Ministry will publish the most up-to-date versions of the OECD waste-control appendices on its website, ensuring that industry operators have access to the latest lists of controlled waste streams. Resolution 1519 will come into force three months after its publication, on the 23rd of December 2025. At that point, it will formally repeal Resolution 1402 of 2006, ending nearly 19 years of its application.