WASTE CRIME – WASTE RISKS

cial. Analysis of counterfeit products has revealed that the fake
pesticides might contain unknown toxic impurities potentially
dangerous to health and the environment (Karasali et
al. 2014). These substances pose a threat to the food chain, to
farmers, andultimately, to consumers when dangerous products
reach the market (European Commission 2014). Some
of the fake pesticides can cause long-term contamination of
the soil and cause problems for future harvests, groundwater,
surface water, and adjacent reservoirs (ECPA n.d.).
If authorities seize the counterfeit pesticides, they become
waste at times, depending on their content, hazardous waste
(Blakeney 2012). This means they have to be properly disposed
of in line with national and international legal frameworks on
waste management. The proper disposal of counterfeit pesticides
can therefore be costly.
pesticides may be relabelled and brought back to the market.
The return of previously confiscated counterfeit pesticides is a
new trend that raises huge concerns (OSCE 2015).
In general, most developing countries do not have the facilities
for safe hazardous waste disposal (Blakeney 2012). Stocks
of hazardous pesticides often deteriorate and contaminate the
environment and put people at risk. The worst affected are
poor rural communities that may not even be aware of the
toxic nature of the chemicals in their environment.
In many countries, there are no specialized facilities for
the safe disposal of the dangerous, counterfeit pesticides
(Blakeney 2012). This may mean that the pesticides must
be transported to other countries for environmentally sound
disposal in line with the Basel Convention. In addition, the
waste management legislation in most countries places
responsibility for waste disposal on the owner of the waste in
question. The owner is supposed to cover the costs of storing
the counterfeit at special storage facilities during investigation,
as well as the costs of its eventual disposal. With this
waste, however, the owners do everything possible to avoid
responsibility for the waste disposal. As a result, the waste
may accumulate in unguarded storage facilities, where the
27