According to the Voice of China "News Evening peak" reported, when it comes to "foreign garbage", the word we are familiar with, such as clothes, electronic waste and so on, but "foreign garbage" is just a nickname after all, what is foreign garbage? Why is there always someone through smuggling and other means, a steady stream of "foreign garbage" into China?

Foreign garbage is commonly known in society. It sometimes refers to the import of solid waste, and sometimes refers to the import of solid waste prohibited by the state through smuggling, entrainment and other means, or refers to the import of solid waste restricted by the import without permission. In the process of import management, the competent departments generally do not use the term "foreign garbage".

Driven by profits, foreign garbage continues to enter China. According to a British government survey, 2 million tons of waste is imported from Britain to China every year. In 2012, 17 containers of household waste totalling 420 tonnes were shipped from the UK to Asia, 70 per cent of which was identified as being destined for countries in the Far East, including China. Later, due to China's tough stance, this "foreign garbage" was put on a ship bound for its home country.

"Foreign garbage" generally contains a large number of bacteria, smuggled into China, will bring great harm to people's health and the ecological environment. Article 155 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China stipulates that those who evade customs control and transport solid waste from abroad into China will be punished as smugglers and investigated for criminal responsibility.

In recent years, there has been a high incidence of smuggling of "foreign garbage" into China. Relevant data show: Since the beginning of this year, only the Zhangjiagang Customs under the Nanjing Customs has seized 18 batches of solid waste exceeding the standard, a total of 10,399 tons. Scalping foreign waste, light goods seized and returned, heavy offenders will have jail. Why are there still so many people engaged in smuggling foreign garbage? Guo Guosheng, deputy chief of Zhangjiagang Customs Inspection Department, told reporters that chasing high profits is the main reason.

Guo Guosheng: As usual, you have to pay for imported things. But foreign garbage not only does not pay, but takes money. The cost of dealing with this kind of garbage is relatively high in foreign countries, especially in Europe, Europe and the United States, which are more developed places, through the transfer of subsidies to developing countries, to pay the lawbreakers in China, how much money per ton.

Although there is the temptation of huge profits, however, these smuggled "foreign garbage" without sorting is often "all five evils". For example, some waste plastics are processed into plastic particles and used to make plastic bags, toys and other plastic products, and even made into food bags. Dong Jinshi, secretary general of the International Food Packaging Association, pointed out that the harm of foreign waste to the human body is incalculable.

Dong Jinshi: First of all, it contains heavy metals, such as lead, nickel, cadmium, these heavy metals are mixed in the plastic. These heavy metals have a great destructive effect on the human blood system and the liver, especially on the intellectual development of children. There are some pigment problems, some plastic bags inside some fuel, for example, fuel is more harmful to the body, if long-term intake, with food will melt out. Medical waste to do food, before the main in the storage and transportation process of the harm is relatively large, in the process of processing, in the high temperature there are a lot of bacteria will be killed, but there are also some humid bacteria is high temperature resistance, may not kill, such as some viruses, in this case, the virus in the medical waste or it is inside the drug will also enter the human body with food.

In order to crack down on similar behavior, since February this year, the General Administration of Customs in China Customs launched a ten-month "hedge" special action, by putting up fences, to keep these foreign garbage out. So far, more than 7,600 tons of foreign garbage have been seized. Tan Jun, a researcher of the second Investigation Division of the Anti-smuggling Bureau of the General Administration of Customs, said that the current trend of foreign garbage has also emerged some new characteristics, which has brought difficulties to supervision.

Tan Jun: After the key port and the key cargo inspection, it is possible to drift to the mainland port, the second, when checking the container, found the occurrence of this kind of collection, the future may choose other types of goods to add.

At the same time, the inspection of foreign garbage is not an easy thing, has been engaged in the inspection of goods in Zhangjiagang Customs Guo Guosheng said that fewer identification agencies, is a major problem they face.

Guo Guosheng: Identification institutions less, one in Beijing, there is one is the Shenzhen State Inspection Bureau laboratory, there is China Customs laboratory, for most of the Yangtze River coastal, both sides are not reliable, relatively far away.

Host: The hedge action will end at the end of this year, many consumers worry that the containment of "foreign garbage" will become a gust of wind, once the activity is over, immediately resurgent. Therefore, we appeal, similar behavior, must establish a long-term mechanism, similar strict inspection to continue, can not relax.

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