Chinese customs officers uncovered 49 cases of hazardous waste smuggling last year involving a total of 8,002 tons of solid waste, Xinhua was told by the General Administration of Customs (GAC) on Wednesday.

 

 

A law enforcement officer of Zhengzhou, central China’s Henan Province, looks on as hazardous wastes smuggled in from foreign countries burn.

 

The GAC said most of the cases involved industrial and domestic wastes from the European Union, the United States, the Republic of Korea and Japan.

 

China's thirst for raw materials has in recent years produced a surge in imports of waste materials for recycling. However, the presence of hazardous waste has raised concerns over potential dangers to the environment.

 

The GAC and the State Environmental Protection Administration have started a campaign to identify kingpins in the hazardous waste smuggling business. The investigation will continue until the end of June.

 

China has joined the Basel Convention on the Control of Tran-boundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal. The Convention, which took effect in August 1992, aims to prevent the export and import of hazardous waste.

 

(Xinhua News Agency February 1, 2007)