Referred to the Subcommittee on Transportation and Hazardous Materials.
Congressional Research Service
Official summary
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Nov 22, 1993
Waste Export and Import Prohibition Act - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act (SWDA) to prohibit: (1) effective July 1, 1994, the export of solid waste from the United States to any non-Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) country; and (2) effective July 1, 1999, the export of solid waste from the United States to an OECD country or the importation of solid waste into the United States from an OECD country. Makes such prohibitions inapplicable to baled waste paper, scrap textiles, or waste glass if the waste: (1) is exported or imported for recycling purposes; (2) is separated from the waste stream; and (3) does not contain any substances whose storage, treatment, or disposal is regulated as a hazardous waste under the SWDA. Exempts scrap metal from such prohibition as well if the metal meets such conditions and is not, and does not contain, a sludge and if the waste: (1) is not within, and does not contain a waste within, a category of waste listed in Annex I or II of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal; or (2) does not have a characteristic listed in Annex III of such convention. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to provide for the retrieval, disposal, or clean up of waste exported to a foreign country in violation of this Act. Includes within the definition of "solid waste": (1) low-level radioactive waste and waste mixed with low-level radioactive waste; and (2) all waste covered by the Basel Convention. Excludes small quantities of household waste carried by individuals traveling abroad from the prohibitions of this Act. Sets forth enforcement procedures. Repeals specified existing provisions concerning the export of hazardous wastes.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Aug 26, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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