Planning for hazard mitigation in the U.S.–mexican border region: An assessment of hazardous waste generation rates for transportation

This paper provides an assessment of the trends in hazardous waste shipments across the U.S.–Mexican border. These wastes are generated in the maquiladoras (assembly plants) operating in the northern border of Mexico and are expected to be shipped back to the United States under the conditions imposed by the Environmental Cooperation Agreement. However, very little of such waste is actually sent back. This study first estimates generation rates for hazardous waste, based on shipment data, by type of maquiladora industry for 1995 and prior years. Second, it uses Sonora, Mexico, as a case to illustrate the impending problems of waste transportation and treatment by projecting hazardous waste shipments to 2005. The paper concludes with some suggested research to address the current policy impasse in managing hazardous wastes in the U.S.–Mexican border.