On Jan. 1, 2021, it became illegal for 187 countries, parties to the Basel Convention, to receive a variety of plastics from the United States. e-Stewards and the Basel Action Network (BAN) hosted a 90-minute January 12 webinar to discuss and explore the implications of the Basel Convention's rules. Plastic was officially added to the Basel Convention in 2019. 

A joint resolution of the California Legislature calls for the Biden Administration to prioritize ratification of the Basel Convention within the first 100 days. The resolution urges ratification as a "critical step in properly regulating international environmental injustice of plastic dumping on countries without currently having the capacity to properly manage the material." The joint resolution has 10 co-sponsors in the California Senate and Assembly, as well as support from the California Commission on Recycling Markets and Curbside Recycling, the Basel Action Network, the Clean Seas Lobbying Coalition, Environment California, Oceana, the California Product Stewardship Council, the Resource Recovery Coalition of California, TOMRA Systems ASA, and Recology.