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HELCOM RECOMMENDATION 6/5

adopted 13 March 1985, having regard to Article 13, Paragraph b) of the Helsinki Convention

RECOMMENDATION CONCERNING SAFE HANDLING OF USED MERCURY- AND CADMIUM-CONTAINING BATTERIES

THE COMMISSION,

 

RECALLING that according to Article 6 of the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, 1974, (Helsinki Convention), the Contracting Parties shall take all appropriate measures to control and strictly limit pollution by noxious substances,

 

RECALLING ALSO that Annex II of the Helsinki Convention defines mercury and cadmium as noxious substances for the purposes of Article 6 of the Convention,

 

RECOGNIZING the pollution caused by the introduction of mercury and cadmium from used batteries to the marine environment of the Baltic Sea Area,

 

DESIRING to limit this pollution by a safe handling of such batteries,

 

RECOMMENDS to the Governments of the Contracting Parties to the Helsinki Convention that:

a)   batteries containing appreciable amounts of mercury or cadmium be labelled;

b)    such spent batteries be collected;

c)   recovery or safe disposal of the metal content of such spent batteries be applied in order to avoid contamination of

the environment; and

d)   research into less harmful substitutes in batteries con­taining even small quantities of cadmium and mercury should be encouraged,

 

RECOMMENDS FURTHER that the actions taken by the Contracting Parties in accordance with Paragraphs c) - d) above should be reported to the Commission by 1 July 1986 and subsequently at three years' inter­vals.