This has been dubbed as Garbage Imperialism. The 1989 Basel Convention, which India signed in 1992, seeks to abolish this trend by envisaging a ban on export of toxic wastes between countries by December 31, 1997. And since India has decided to tarry till 1997, toxic substances are finding their way to Indian shores in the guise of scrap metal. " Not surprising, since officials in the developing countries are often willing to import toxic wastes or licence private firms because it is a lucrative way of easing their debt burden. This, says Shiva, has led to the formation of a powerful lobby of waste syndicates and controllers in both the importing and exporting countries.