This work involves the characterisation of the electrochemical decomposition of chlorinated hydrocarbons. A variety of methods were employed involving the use of catalytic reagents to enhance the rate at which chlorinated organic compounds are reduced. The first reagent used was oxygen which was electrochemically reduced to superoxide in nonaqueous solvents. Superoxide is a reactive intermediate and decomposes chlorinated hydrocarbons. However it was found that since the rate of reaction between the superoxide and water is much greater than between superoxide and the chlorinated hydrocarbons, that the waste organics would need to be dried rigorously before decomposition. Initially oxygen was reduced at platinum but since this process is not economically feasible, it was decided to attempt to reduce the oxygen at an array of platinum microelectrodes supported on a conducting polymer. For this reason the deposition and characteristics of conducting polymers were examined voltammetrically and spectroscopically. It was found that the platinum particles behaved like an array of microelectrodes and that superoxide could be successfully evolved at a platinum containing polypyrrole coating on stainless steel. A second system was also tried, consisting of a water soluble mediator. In this latter system, the mediator and the chlorinated organic substrate were both confined in a micelle. It was hoped by using this microencapsulation that the reaction of the electrochemically generated mediator and the chlorinated organic would be more efficient. The mediator was a [C o (b p y )3 ]2 + complex where bpy is 2,2'-bipyridyl. It was found that the surfactant didodecyldimethylammonium bromide was better than cetyltrimethylammonium bromide for the mediated reduction of carbon tetrachloride using the mediator. Analysis of the bulk electrolysis solution by a potentiometric titration confirmed that the carbon tetrachloride was decomposed to chloride. However the efficiency was low due to the small area of the electrode.