BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- China's customs seized more than 300,000 tonnes of smuggled trash imports Friday in its latest move to curb the inflow of "overseas trash" and protect the environment.
Nearly 1,000 customs officers took part in the action, arresting 115 suspects and breaking up 22 smuggling groups, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC).
By March 20, China had seen sharp declines in the amount of legal imports of solid waste and the number of trash smuggling cases this year, falling 37 percent and 43 percent year on year, respectively, the GAC said in a statement.
Customs data also showed the country launched five rounds of crackdowns on trash smuggling in 2018, investigating 481 cases of smuggling foreign trash and seizing 1.55 million tonnes of illegal waste imports.
China began importing solid waste as a source of raw materials in the 1980s and for years has been the world's largest importer, despite its weak capacity in garbage disposal. Some companies illegally bring foreign garbage into the country for profit, posing a threat to the environment and public health.
Given rising public awareness and a green development drive, the government decided last year to phase out and completely halt such imports by the end of 2019, except for those containing resources that are not substitutable.
