Authorities detain hundreds in yearlong crackdown

This year, customs authorities and the ministries of environment and commerce launched a crackdown which saw hundreds of suspects detained for smuggling solid waste into the country, the government said.

On Dec 19, customs officers in 13 provinces and regions, including Guangdong, Zhejiang and Jiangsu - major centers for the processing of imported recyclables - detained 127 suspects from 47 gangs in the largest operation of the year, according to a statement issued by the General Administration of Customs.

More than 323,000 metric tons of what was referred to as "foreign garbage", including plastic scraps and waste mineral residue, had been seized by 10 am on Dec 19, it added.