The 1972 International Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Waste and Other Matter, commonly called the London Dumping Convention, entered into force on August 30, 1975. The London Dumping Convention covers "ocean dumping" defined as any deliberate disposal of wastes or other matter from ships, aircraft, platforms, or other human-made structures at sea. The discharge of sewage effluent and other material through pipes, wastes from other land-based sources, the operational or incidental disposal of material from vessels, aircraft, and platforms (such as fresh or salt water), or wastes from seabed mining are not covered under this convention.

The framework of the London Dumping Convention consists of three annexes. Annex I contains a blacklist of materials that cannot be dumped at sea...