7 arrested in cases of importing toxic household waste
By Li Qian |
June 2, 2012, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
CUSTOMS officials in Nanjing City have arrested seven people on charges of smuggling over 4,000 tons of household toxic waste from the Netherlands from December to March.
In one case, the Hepu Trading Co in Hefei City, capital of Anhui Province, purchased banned imports containing toxic chemicals from a Taiwan firm, which smuggled it from a Dutch supplier called Van Puijfelik BV, officials said.
To pass the Customs' check, the three sides conspired to claim the 30 shipping containers of goods were waste papers - allowable imports that are safe and recyclable. But the imported trash caused many Customs officials inspecting the goods to suffer severe respiratory and skin infections, reported a publication called Economic Information.
After buying the trash at low prices, the firm would pick out the "valuable" parts, including paper and plastics, to sell at high profit margins, Xinhua news agency reported. It would then dump the remaining trash without regard to environmental concerns. Countless poisonous waste items, including scrapped computer parts and batteries, were dumped in huge piles.
Exporting waste illegally to poor countries has become a vast and growing international business, as companies try to minimize the costs of new environmental laws.
The Taiwan company manager was arrested at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport on February 19 while Hepu's manager, surnamed Geng, was detained in Hefei, the report said.
Later yesterday, authorities announced that they had shipped the 30 containers back to the Netherlands.
As the Nanjing Customs' investigation went further, officials found another 2,045 tons of household waste had been smuggled from Rotterdam, which was described as a gateway for trash bound for China and other developing countries.
Chinese law bans imports of solid waste that cannot be used as raw materials or that poses a serious risk to the environment.
However, driven by high profit margins, some dealers smuggle or associate with overseas organizations and bring foreign garbage to China illegally.
If found guilty of illegal trading, importers or carriers should return the waste to its place of origin, according to the regulation.
In one case, the Hepu Trading Co in Hefei City, capital of Anhui Province, purchased banned imports containing toxic chemicals from a Taiwan firm, which smuggled it from a Dutch supplier called Van Puijfelik BV, officials said.
To pass the Customs' check, the three sides conspired to claim the 30 shipping containers of goods were waste papers - allowable imports that are safe and recyclable. But the imported trash caused many Customs officials inspecting the goods to suffer severe respiratory and skin infections, reported a publication called Economic Information.
After buying the trash at low prices, the firm would pick out the "valuable" parts, including paper and plastics, to sell at high profit margins, Xinhua news agency reported. It would then dump the remaining trash without regard to environmental concerns. Countless poisonous waste items, including scrapped computer parts and batteries, were dumped in huge piles.
Exporting waste illegally to poor countries has become a vast and growing international business, as companies try to minimize the costs of new environmental laws.
The Taiwan company manager was arrested at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport on February 19 while Hepu's manager, surnamed Geng, was detained in Hefei, the report said.
Later yesterday, authorities announced that they had shipped the 30 containers back to the Netherlands.
As the Nanjing Customs' investigation went further, officials found another 2,045 tons of household waste had been smuggled from Rotterdam, which was described as a gateway for trash bound for China and other developing countries.
Chinese law bans imports of solid waste that cannot be used as raw materials or that poses a serious risk to the environment.
However, driven by high profit margins, some dealers smuggle or associate with overseas organizations and bring foreign garbage to China illegally.
If found guilty of illegal trading, importers or carriers should return the waste to its place of origin, according to the regulation.
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