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International Waste Policy

AHPD-DSAE-IE-2002-17-3

PDF (1035kb)

The International Waste Policy applies to:

  1. Waste removed from aircraft/ships arriving in Canada from overseas;
  2. Any commodities, regulated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, seized from international travellers arriving in Canada, which are prohibited or do not meet import requirements.

In late 2004, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) came to an agreement whereby the control, monitoring and disposal of international wastes will fall under the responsibility of the CBSA. Policy design and approval of disposal sites will be the responsibility of CFIA.

It is not mandatory for aircraft/ships landing or docking in Canada to remove any onboard garbage. They may return to the country of origin or proceed to a third country before removing such material. If, however, waste is removed from international flights/ships landing or docking in Canada, the removal may not occur at the first point of landing/docking. Flights or ships may land to re-fuel or discharge passengers and continue to a second or subsequent landing/docking point before removing waste for disposal.

It is the aircraft/ship owner's responsibility to dispose of international waste in accordance with the Health of Animals Regulations. It may be prudent, however, for CBSA inspectors at the initial or subsequent landing/docking sites to verify that proper disposal procedures have been followed.

Definitions:

Aircraft Garbage: is waste that contains, or is suspected of containing, animal products or by-products that originated either as food taken on board or as a result of transportation of animals in an aircraft.

Seized Materials: animal or plant products and byproducts which do not meet the import requirements and therefore are seized from passengers at the first point of entry.

Ship's Refuse: refuse that contains or is suspected to contain an animal product or an animal by-product and that originated as food that was taken on board a vessel or as a result of transportation of animals in an aircraft.

International waste: refers to aircraft garbage, seized materials and ship's refuse as defined above for the purpose of this policy. All international waste will be handled, transported, stored, and disposed of in accordance with the Health of Animals Regulations, section 47, 47.1 (1-10).1

  1. Note: In recognition of the risk of introducing pests and diseases that threaten plant health, the requirements of the Plant Protection Act and Regulations must also be respected.

Background:

International waste is normally prohibited from entry into Canada because of the risk of introducing foreign animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease, rinderpest, African swine fever, hog cholera (classical swine fever), swine vesicular disease, Newcastle disease, Avian Influenza, African horse sickness and many other diseases.

International waste may be removed for disposal in Canada if a CBSA inspector is satisfied that the off loading and discharge of such material meets the requirements of the policy and thus would not, or would not likely, result in the introduction into Canada or the spread within Canada of a vector, disease, or toxic substance. The International Waste Policy was not based on country classification because of the number of countries and the wide variety of products involved. The policy applies to international waste originating in all countries, other than the USA.

Responsibility of Owner or Person in Charge of an Aircraft or Ship

The aircraft or ship's owner is responsible for contacting CFIA to seek approval of a new route or a disposal site for international waste. It is the responsibility of the aircraft or ship owner's to ensure that all parties involved in the collection, transportation and disposal of international waste comply with the requirements of the Health of Animals Regulations.

In the attached appendices, the CFIA has provided guidelines to assist the owner or persons in charge in these responsibilities.

The remaining three appendices provide guidelines on the disposal of international waste:

Responsibilities of CFIA

CFIA is responsible for the maintenance and updating of the International Waste Policy, as well as its distribution to Operations and CBSA.

CFIA will continue to be responsible for approval of routing and disposal sites, including landfill sites, incinerators and autoclaves. Approvals will need to be renewed every three years.

Regular audits will be conducted by CFIA to verify compliance to this policy.

Responsibilities of the CBSA

The CBSA is responsible for the following activities:

  1. Ensuring that the owner or person in charge of the aircraft/ship is aware of their responsibilities under the Health of Animals Regulations to ensure all parties involved in the collection and transport of international waste are in compliance with the regulations.
  2. Monitoring the collection and transport of international waste in accordance with Appendix A, B, C, D and E.
  3. Ensuring truck manifests are completed for each load of international waste that moves to an approved premise for disposal. Truck manifests from approved premises should be collected by CBSA officers on a weekly basis. (The frequency of this activity is dependant on the quantity of international waste generated).
  4. On occasion, following trucks moving waste to approved disposal site to ensure that any containers and the truck are not leaking, and that the truck arrives at the intended destination.
  5. Perform a monthly review of the maintenance plan for trucks, containers and any other equipment used in the handling, transport, and disposal of international waste.
  6. Ensuring that all containers used in the handling of international waste are leakproof (leakproof containers, for the purposes of this policy are defined as containers whose sides and bottom prevent the escape of solids and liquids and with a tightly fitting lid, that prevents the escape of solids) and stored in a manner that would prevent this waste to be mixed with domestic garbage, would reduce spills and exposure of wildlife, livestock or birds - thereby helping to prevent the introduction of foreign animal diseases.
  7. Ensuring waste manifests are completed and contain all applicable information to ensure there are no discrepancies in the weight, or the time/date of waste delivery.
  8. Completing invoices for the charges relating to monitoring international waste. Please refer to table below for complete list of applicable fees.
    • 8.1Subject to sub-item (2), for services provided to an air or marine carrier respecting any animal or thing presented by the carrier under section 16 of the Act, including the control of international garbage, the review of manifests and an inspection:

Commodity

1.

  1. for an aircraft entering Canada
    • Fee -  $25.00
    • Code - 1080
    • GST - Y
  2. for a ship entering Canada
    1. for the first manifest for the ship
      1. if the manifest is provided to an inspector in an electronic format which is approved by Revenue Canada, at least one working day before the arrival of the ship
        • Fee - $40.00
        • Code - 1081
        • GST - N
      2. if fewer than 10 items are declared on the manifest or the ship is in ballast
        • Fee - $40.00
        • Code - 1082
        • GST - N
      3. if the ship is a cruise ship, or in cases other than those referred to in clause (A) or (B)
        • Fee - $100.00
        • Code - 1083
        • GST - N
    2. for each additional manifest for the ship,
      1. if the manifest is provided to an inspector in an electronic format that is approved by Revenue Canada, at least one working day before the arrival of the ship
        • Fee - $20.00
        • Code - 1089
        • GST - N
      2. if fewer than 10 items are declared on the manifest or the ship is in ballast
        • Fee - $20.00
        • Code - 1090
        • GST - N
      3. if the ship is a cruise ship, or in cases other than those referred to in clause (A) or (B)
        • Fee - $70.00
        • Code - 1091
        • GST - N

2. The fees set out in sub-item (1) do not apply to:

  • Fee - N/A
  • Code - N/A
  1. an aircraft entering Canada that
    • Fee - N/A
    • Code - N/A
    1. is on a flight whose flight data information shows that it originated in the United States or
      • Fee - N/A
      • Code - N/A
    2. has a maximum capacity of 30 persons, in the case of a passenger aircraft, or
      • Fee - N/A
      • Code - N/A
    3. is operated by the armed forces of a country that, under an agreement with the Department of National Defence, is exempted from payment of the fees in respect of its military aircraft; OR
      • Fee - N/A
      • Code - N/A
  2. a ship entering Canada that
    • Fee - N/A
    • Code - N/A
    • GST - N/A
    1. is registered in Canada or the United States,
      • Fee - N/A
      • Code - N/A
      • GST - N/A
    2. is operated by the Government of the United States,
      • Fee - N/A
      • Code - N/A
      • GST - N/A
    3. is operating exclusively in Canadian and American waters and, since it last left a port other than a Canadian or American port, has been inspected and certified by the appropriate Canadian or American officials as having no food or ship's refuse that originates in a country other than Canada or the United States, or contains food or ship's refuse that is approved by the Agency or the United States Department of Agriculture for uncontrolled entry into Canada or the United States, or
      • Fee - N/A
      • Code - N/A
      • GST - N/A
    4. is operated by the armed forces of a country that, under an agreement with the Department of National Defence, is exempted from payment of the fees in respect of its military ships
      • Fee - N/A
      • Code - N/A
      • GST - N/A

Next page: Appendix A


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