London Convention: Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter

The Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (London Convention), adopted in 1972 and in force since 1975, aims to curb marine pollution by preventing the dumping from ships at sea. It has a "blacklist" of waste types that are entirely prohibited from being dumped from ships, and a "grey list" of other waste types that can be dumped only under specific conditions and with prior permit. The 1972 convention was updated and strengthened in 1996 by the adoption of an additional Protocol (the London Protocol), which entered into force in 2006. The London Protocol applies a precautionary approach: Instead of a "black- and grey list" of wastes (which implies that anything not listed is permissible to dump), it provides a "greenlist" with the implication that any type of waste not listed is prohibited from being dumped. As such, it is more restrictive. It also prohibits incineration of waste at sea, and the export of waste for the purpose of dumping or incineration at sea. At the time of writing (2026) the London Convention has 87 Parties, and the London Protocol has 56. The London Convention and Protocol in effect function as a single combined instrument, and share a secretariat, which is provided by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London, UK.