Hazardous waste shipments.

The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), an international organization created by Canada, Mexico and the United States under the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), issued the report "Opportunities to improve tracking of transboundary hazardous waste shipments in North America."

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The objective of the report is to describe the current hazardous waste information tracking procedures and systems used by each of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) countries for transboundary hazardous waste shipments, and to recommend ways to improve cooperation within North America on the trans-boundary tracking of these wastes.

North American companies ship hundreds of thousands of tons of hazardous waste annually between Canada. Mexico and the United States. Because improperly managed hazardous waste can pose a risk to human health and the environment, companies must follow reporting, shipping and record-keeping procedures. The domestic laws within each country and specific international agreements to which the NAFTA countries are parties dictate these procedures. To access the report, visit www.cec.org.