The customs quarantine watchdog in north China's Tianjin Municipality warned importers of foreign solid garbage to heed China's new criteria on imported waste to avoid unnecessary losses.

 

The criteria on imported solid waste jointly launched by the General Administration of Quality Supervision and the State Environmental Protection Administration took effect in February this year, which mainly enhances the standards for imports of metal and paper waste.

 

Among 32,419 batches of imported garbage handled by the Tianjin Customs in 2005, 81 were found to contain prohibitive substances, such as radioactive and non-reusable items.

 

While China is playing a greater global role in manufacturing, it faces the danger of becoming the world's largest dumping ground, media and experts across the country have repeatedly warned. Many Chinese have been angry about the huge quantities of garbage being imported into a country that has plenty of environmental problems of its own.

 

(Xinhua News Agency February 23, 2006)