Chinese lawmakers call for urgent action against influx of foreign garbage

Chinese lawmakers call for urgent action against influx of foreign
garbage

The BBC Monitoring Service reports on an item from Xinhua (the New
China News Agency) which may be of interest.

While China is playing a greater role in the world’s manufacturing
sector, some senior lawmakers and officials here have warned of the
entry of foreign garbage.

In recent years, various kinds of garbage from developed countries have
kept flowing into China via different channels. Such a danger has
aroused the attention of Chinese lawmakers, now attending the annual
session of the National People’s Congress [NPC]. “If urgent actions
were not taken, China might become a dumping ground for garbage from
developed countries,” said Xie Taijian, an NPC deputy from south
China’s Guangdong Province.

In 2001, the customs in the province uncovered large amount of imported
garbage including used tires, clothes, home appliances and computers.
Foreign garbage is also rampant in other areas. During the last Spring
Festival in February, the Taizhou Customs in Zhejiang Province detected
466.66 tons of household garbage which mainly contained used ring-pull
cans and plastic film. In last December, the Lianyungang Customs in
Jiangsu Province intercepted 339 tons of solid waste, which was shipped
back to the Republic of Korea.

It is estimated that more than 500m tons of toxic wastes were produced
around the world, with a growing portion of which being transferred to
developing countries.

“We have noticed the entry and are preparing to enact laws to ward off
foreign garbage,” Guangdong Governor Lu Ruihua said. The fact is also
true that some companies are importing foreign wastes aiming to make a
profit while ignoring laws and rules on environmental protection.

“Though there exist short-term profits in such a business, the harm is
serious and will be long-lasting,” said Huang Guosheng, a senior
research with the Guangdong Electronic Technology Research Institute