China seizes 383 containers of foreign waste following import crackdown

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Since the introduction of the Operation Green Fence crackdown on imports of illegal solid waste, 383 containers of waste have been seized by Chinese customs officials.

As first revealed to subscribers of SCM Intelligence, the Chinese Government began the strict inspections of between 50 and 100 per cent of containers at its ports following Chinese New Year in February to ensure that all imports met its existing requirement of no more than 1.5 per cent contamination in waste loads.

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While plastics have been subject to the strictest inspection, paper and metal loads have also been heavily analysed.

Shanghai port also announced that it has seized 6,000 tonnes of waste tailings from the metal extraction process that has been smuggled under fake documents as metal ore. These had originated in western Asia and eastern Europe.

As a result, eight people have been detained.

Customs officials in Shanghai also said that 115 tonnes of waste tyres, which are illegal to export to China, had been seized.

Shanghai’s port handled $414 million of waste imports in 2012, which was 3.2 per cent higher compared to last year.