China strengthens fight against illegal waste imports, 39 more arrested

Almaty. November 8. Silkroadnews - China strengthens fight against waste illegal import, another 39 people are arrested, reports Reuters.
“China has expanded a crackdown on the import of waste materials, arresting 39 suspects and seizing 33,000 tonnes of plastic and mineral waste during the latest round, the customs service said on Tuesday,” the report said.
It is noted that at the beginning of the year, China launched the campaign against harmful “foreign garbage” as a part of efforts to improve environmental conditions.
On their website customs officials said that during the three rounds on fighting illegal imports of waste, they have arrested 259 suspects in importing 303,000 tonnes of illegal waste.
The General Administration of Customs and the local police acted together in five provinces, including Guangdong and cities, including Shanghai.
The suspects illegally imported mineral and plastic waste and sold them to local factories that did not have the required technologies and equipment and did not comply with the waste treatment criteria, causing harm to the air, water and soil.
China is a major importer of waste, but only some of them are imported into the country legally. Last year, China imported 7.3 million tonnes of plastic waste to the amount of $ 3.7 billion, accounting for 56% of the world imports.
A ban on the import of scrap metal will come into effect starting from early 2018. Authorities in Xiamen recently seized more than 1,400 tonnes of zinc waste illegally imported from abroad.