ABSTRACT
Laws controlling hazardous waste disposal are now energetically enforced in most industrialized countries. As these waste control laws get tighter, industries have come to assume greater financial responsibility and are trying to lessen this burden by finding alternative methods and places for waste disposal. Some have exported wastes to developing countries, where laws are generally less stringent (if they exist at all) and/or less strictly enforced (where they exist). Indeed, to a great extent, it is the advancement of environmental standards in most industrialized countries that has led to the shipment of toxic wastes to other countries lacking stringency in their laws, or to jurisdictions that may not be fully aware of the implications of accepting hazardous wastes to their regions. In particular, the transfrontier movements of hazardous wastes between developed and developing countries are significantly influenced by regulatory standards and requirements-or lack thereof. The harmonization of hazardous waste management standards across all nations, irrespective of the level of development, will therefore be necessary, if measurable results are to be achieved with regard to optimizing the use of local disposal options and controlling the transfrontier movements of hazardous wastes.
