Brussels,

Waste containing persistent organic pollutants (POPs)

• Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are toxic organic chemicals that persist in the environment, bioaccumulate in food chains, and can travel long distances across borders via air, water, and migratory species—posing risks to human health and the environment.
• Waste containing POPs is particularly problematic: when POP concentrations exceed specified limits, the POP content must be destroyed or irreversibly transformed so it is no longer harmful, to avoid releases during waste treatment or disposal.
  
• The EU’s core legal instrument is the POPs Regulation, which entered into force on 15 July 2019 (replacing the earlier 2004 regulation). Its objective is to ensure POP waste is managed in an environmentally sound way while minimising emissions of POPs to air, water, and soil, with the ultimate aim of eliminating emissions.
  
• Council Decision of 14 October 2004 concerning the conclusion, on behalf of the European Community, of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
• The regulation implements EU obligations under key international frameworks:
  • the Stockholm Convention on POPs (adopted 2001; in force 2004), which seeks global elimination/reduction of POP releases;
  • the UNECE Protocol on POPs; and
  • the Basel Convention, which requires environmentally sound management of hazardous waste movements and disposal.
    
• Examples of POPs include pesticides (e.g., DDT), industrial chemicals (e.g., PCBs/PCTs), and unintentional industrial by-products such as dioxins and furans; the EU also has specific rules for certain chemical waste streams.
• Timeline highlights: POPs Regulation in force 15 July 2019; Commission proposal to amend annexes adopted 28 October 2021; earlier POPs Regulation in force 20 May 2004.