Inspection, supervision used to enforce solid waste ban

China will roll out new measures to prevent waste from being imported as recycled raw materials to ensure high-quality and sustainable growth, a customs official said on Monday.

Lin Jiantian, director-general at the department of commodity inspection at the General Administration of Customs, said the administration will actively promote the implementation of pre-shipment inspections of renewable resources in related countries and strictly check imported bulk mineral products to curb the import of waste slag.

China banned all imports of solid waste starting Jan 1. The dumping, stacking and disposal of overseas waste products on Chinese territory has also been banned.

While continuing to tighten supervision on the exports of epidemic prevention and control products, especially masks, ventilators and protective clothing, he said the GAC will intensify inspection and supervision on common and key imported goods this year, including vehicles, medical equipment and children's products, to meet the demand of domestic consumers and boost China's consumption upgrade.

The GAC carried out product quality and safety risk checks on 1,273 batches of cross-border e-commerce imports in 2020, with product categories covering children's clothing, shoes, strollers and toys, as well as foodstuffs, household appliances and women's accessories.

In that time, the GAC found 150 batches had sanitation, environmental protection, quality and safety problems, accounting for 11.78 percent of the goods inspected.