China to ban imports of 24 kinds of solid waste

China notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Tuesday it will ban the import of 24 different types of solid waste shipments as part of a campaign to curb environmental pollution.

The import ban, which will go into effect at the end of 2017, includes plastics, slag from steelmaking, unsorted scrap paper and discarded textile materials.

According to China's WTO filing, the list has been adjusted to protect the country's environment and people's health.

China has been importing large amounts of plastic waste as raw materials for industrial production. In 2016, China imported 7.3 million tonnes of plastic waste worth 3.7 billion US dollars, accounting for over half of worldwide imports.

(CGTN)