Living Resources, the Convention for the Regulation of Antarctic 

 Mineral Resource Activities, and the various recommendations 

 adopted to give effect to the Antarctic Treaty. It was agreed 

 that a special consultative meeting would be held in 1990 to 

 explore all proposals for protection of the Antarctic 

 environment. 



Revision of the Code of Conduct on Waste Disposal — At the 

 Vlllth Consultative Meeting held in Oslo, Norway, in June 1975, 

 the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties adopted a Code of 

 Conduct for Antarctic Expeditions and Station Activities. Among 

 other things, the Code recommended procedures for disposing of 

 various types of wastes generated by expeditions and station 

 activities. 



A number of improvements in technologies and procedures for 

 dealing with waste disposal have been developed since the Code of 

 Conduct was developed. In addition, there is growing recognition 

 that even limited, localized environmental contamination may 

 jeopardize the Antarctic environment and reduce its scientific 

 value as an indicator of the status of global climate and 

 pollution. Therefore, at the Xllth Antarctic Treaty Consultative 

 Meeting (Canberra, September 1983) , the Consultative Parties 

 agreed to seek the advice of their respective Antarctic operating 

 agencies concerning the desirability and feasibility of revising 

 the Code of Conduct. 



At the Xlllth Consultative Meeting (Brussels, October 1985) , 

 the Consultative Parties requested that the Scientific Committee 

 on Antarctic Research undertake a comprehensive review of the 

 Code of Conduct adopted in 1975 and provide advice regarding 

 revisions in waste disposal procedures and standards that would 

 be desirable to achieve at coastal and inland stations and field 

 camps. In response to this request, the Scientific Committee on 

 Antarctic Research constituted a panel of experts to compile and 

 evaluate information concerning existing practices and new 

 technologies. The report of the panel, entitled Waste Disposal 

 in the Antarctic , was provided to and considered by the XVth 

 Consultative Meeting. The meeting adopted a revised Code of 

 Conduct, taking into account the recommendations of the 

 Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research Panel of Experts, and, 

 based upon a U.S. proposal, cast the elements of the Code as 

 obligations which the Antarctic Treaty Parties are bound to 

 enforce. Among other things, the revised Code reguires Parties 

 to minimize the amounts of packing and other waste-generating 

 materials transported to Antarctica, to prohibit burning of 

 plastics, rubber products, and other materials that might produce 

 toxic by-products when burned, and to remove batteries, fuel 

 drums, and other such materials from the Antarctic Treaty area 

 after use. 



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