RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/TBT/Notif.96.4
22January 1996
ORGANIZATION
(96-0217)
Committee onTechnical Barriers toTrade
NOTIFICATION
Thefollowing notification isbeing circulated inaccordance withArticle 10.6.
1. Member toAgreement notifying: NETHERLANDS
Ifapplicable, name oflocalgovernment involved (Articles 3.2and7.2):
2. Agency responsible: Ministry ofHousing, Spatial Planning andtheEnvironment
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X],2.10.1 [],5.6.2 [],5.7.1 [],other:
4. Products covered (HSorCCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading.
ICSnumbers maybeprovided inaddition, where applicable): Agri- andhorticultural
sheeting (plastic foil)
5. Title andnumber ofpages ofthenotified document: Draft Order Governing the
Removal ofAgricultural andHorticultural Sheeting
6. Description ofcontent: TheDraft Order Governing theRemoval ofAgricultural and
Horticultural Sheeting stipulates thatamanufacturer orimporter ofagricultural sheeting
orhorticultural sheeting isresponsible forthecollection andprocessing ofhissheeting.
Since insufficient processing techniques arecurrently available forhorticultural sheeting,
theorder willonlyapply toagricultural sheeting forthetimebeing. Themanufacturer
orimporter may, subject toanumber ofpreconditions (collecting asmuch aspossible,
processing tothehighest possible standard andsetting upatestandmonitoring system)
setupacollection andremoval structure inlinewithhisownviews.
Hecould dothisasanindividual orteam upwith other manufacturers or
importers. TheMinister ofHousing, Spatial Planning andtheEnvironment hastobe
notified ofthedetails ofthecollection andremoval structure. TheMinister must
approve thisnotification. Themanufacturer orimporter shallthenobserve thisapproved
notification.
./.G/TBT/Notif.96.4
Page2
7. Objective andrationale: Agricultural sheeting isplastic sheeting which canbecollected
from farmers andprocessed toregranulate withrelative ease. Since theorder canalso
bedeclared tobeapplicable tohorticultural sheeting, itprompts thesearch for
processing techniques thereof. Thedumping ofagricultural sheeting willbebanned
presently, because thiswaste material caneasily beprocessed anddumping does not
offer apermanent solution.
8. Relevant documents:
(a) Environmental Management Act;
(b) Covenant onPlastic Waste from Agriculture andHorticulture;
(c) Memorandum onthePrevention andRe-Use ofWaste Materials.
9. Proposed dateofadoption andentry intoforce: 1July1996
10. Final dateforcomments: 26January 1996
11. Texts available from: National enquiry point [X]oraddress andtelefax number ofother
body: