It's a war against an army of imported garbage.

Smuggled waste material is being found in customs checks throughout the country from scrap metals, to abandoned tires.

The waste products offer international smugglers and Chinese recycling operators the chance to make a quick buck.

Shang Yang, Director, Lianyungang Customs Inspection Office, said, "Other countries subsidize their trash. In China, a number of waste products are banned from entering the country. But smuggling is an attractive operation, because a lot of this trash contains material that's worth money when recycled."

It's lucrative also because of the cheap labor in China. An average Chinese recycling worker earns 2000 yuan per month. In western countries, it's more like 2000 euros per month -- almost ten times the salary.

But there's a cost -- to the environment, and to people's health.

Chen Yi, Deputy Director, Changsha Customs Anti-Smuggling Office, said, "After they've extracted the useful elements, the trash is often discarded. It can contain harmful elements like lead, arsenic, or chloride. Once they're dumped in landfills, they can pollute the earth, air and water resources for years."

According to a report, China is the final destination for around 70 percent of the world's annual electronic waste.

The number one export sector from the US to China is "Scrap and Trash".

According to the US International Trade Commission, Chinese imports of US cast-offs surged by an eye-popping 916 percent between 2000 and 2008.

While Chinese laws allow some waste products to be imported, others are strictly banned.

Li Li, Trade Control Office Director, Shanghai Customs, said, "They lie when they import banned items. On the customs declarations, they list other things. Some hide the illegal material at the bottom of the containers."

Now, Chinese authorities are getting tough on the problem.

A campaign has been launched, to crack down on illegal imports of waste material.

Zhang Junxiong, Head, Lianyungang Customs, said, "Our strategy is to bring the smugglers to court. As for the illegal waste, we will send it back to where it came from."

A decade old problem, now looks like it will finally get the attention it needs.

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