Total Amount of Generated Hazardous Wastes

Rather than adopting one definition of hazardous waste, the Convention takes a broad view that there are 45 categories of wastes that are presumed to be hazardous in the Convention. 18 of them are waste streams (i.e. clinical wastes, mineral oils, PCB) and 27 others are wastes having clearly identified constituents (i.e. mercury, lead, asbestos, organic cyanides, halogenated organic solvents). However, in order to be classified as hazardous, these categories of wastes need to exhibit one or more hazardous characteristics, such as being flammable, oxidizing, poisonous, infectious, corrosive, ecotoxic.