Canada. Government announced on 10 April 2002 a Provincial Waste Management Strategy for Newfoundland and Labrador, which will dramatically reduce the number of landfill sites, phase out the use of incinerators, open burning and unlined landfill sites, and increase waste diversion. (econway@nfld.com)

China. In the aftermath of the 25 February 2002 release by the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition and Basel Action Network of "Exporting Harm: The High-Tech Trashing of Asia", China undertook an investigation of their own to look into the problem and in May announced that it will crack down on the illegal imports of electronic wastes, which will include TV sets, kinescopes, computer displays, xerox machines, video cameras and telephones. (apex@seanet.com)

France/EU. The European Parliament passed a directive on 10 April 2002, which will make manufacturers responsible for recycling their own electrical and electronic products. The law is the European Union's latest attempt to implement the "polluter pays" principle. (Financial Times, 10 April 2002)

France. The European Parliament voted on 3 September 2002 to increase a target for the amount of packaging waste recycled. Member states are currently required to recycle 25% of packaging but a proposal from the European Commission would have increased this to 55% for most countries from 31 December 2006. The Parliament has further raised the target to 65%.

Germany. Karl Wienand, the federal parliamentary manager of the Social Democrats (SPD) from 1967 to 1973, was picked up by police on suspicion of receiving $2.1 million in connection with a huge garbage incinerator project in Cologne. Also arrested were former SPD head of Cologne's city council Norbert Ruether and waste management executive Hellmut Trienekens. (Deutsche Presse-Agentur, 13 June 2002)

Japan. More than 300 waste disposal facilities nationwide must be taken off-line by the end of 2002 when tighter dioxin emission standards take effect. An Asahi Shimbun study indicates 339 outdated incinerators must be deactivated by December this year. The government has also instituted stricter dismantling guidelines for the aging incinerators following a serious accident in Osaka and Some municipalities. (Asahi Shimbun, 29 May 2002)

Mexico. The Mexican Chamber of Deputies approved on 26 April 2002 a law that virtually bans the incineration of different types of waste. It will now be up to the Senators to endorse and approve the law, which the deputies unanimously supported. The law was passed after intense lobbying by Greenpeace Mexico and other public interest groups in the country. If approved by the Senate, the law will prohibit the incineration of 13 items. The law further bans the burning of other materials which, upon incineration, generate by-products more dangerous to human health or the ecosystem than the original materials. (mariana.boy.tamborell@mx.greenpeace.org)

New Zealand. A controversial proposal to build a high-tech incinerator to burn animal and human waste at Kennington has been scrapped. The proposed double-chimney-stack incinerator by Specialist Incineration Services was to have been situated on land leased from the Kennington Vet Centre. Kennington residents formed an environment group to oppose the incinerator project. (The Southland Times, 10 June 2002)

UK. The Government has decided not to allow the expansion of Edmonton Incinerator, which burns one per cent of Barnet's rubbish even though Enfield Council and the Environment Agency had approved the move. Energy minister Brian Wilson, said that the decision to reject the extension had nothing to do with pollution it just wants the North London Waste Authority (NLWA), to focus on recycling and composting instead of incinerations. (UK Newsquest, 30 May 2002)