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Enormous amounts of plastics are produced every day and used in food packaging, transport, construction, electronic equipment, and many other applications. The global production of plastic increased from 2 million tons per year in the 1950s to more than 426 million tons per year in 2018. 97 to 99% of plastic is made from non-renewable hydrocarbons, mostly oil and natural gas. The commonly used plastics are not biodegradable. Of the plastic waste generated globally to date, only about 9% has been recycled and only about 12% has been incinerated. The remaining 79% has been disposed in landfills or released into the environment. In 2016 alone, approximately 11% of plastic waste generated globally entered aquatic ecosystems. Illegal waste traffic is by no means a new problem. Meanwhile, recent years have seen an alarming increase in illegal traffic in plastic waste. In the 1980’s, a series of tragic incidents where ships from developed countries dumped hazardous wastes in developing countries motivated the international community to react. On 22 March 1989 the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal was adopted, aiming to protect human health and the environment through the: 1. Control of transboundary movements (TBM). 2. Promotion of environmentally sound management (ESM). And 3. Prevention and minimization of the generation of hazardous and other wastes. As of June 2021, the Basel Convention had 188 Parties. The content of the Convention and its effective implementation are continuously reviewed and evaluated by its governing body, the Conference of the Parties, which comprises the States that have agreed to be bound by the provisions of the Convention. In May 2019, the Conference of the Parties unanimously adopted what came to be known as the Plastic Waste Amendments. This landmark decision aims to enhance the control of transboundary movements of plastic waste, while also promoting their prevention, minimization and environmentally sound management. The new entries of the Plastic Waste Amendments entered into force on 01 January 2021. Yet, to be fully effective, the capacity of the Parties to the Convention needs to be strengthened. Focal Points of the Basel Convention, other government entities, the private sector, civil society and even citizens each have a role to play to ensure that the Amendments unfold their full potential and help us in tackling the global plastic waste crisis.