Guangming Daily: The 11th issue of the "Goddess of the Earth" international joint law enforcement operation has yielded fruitful results - Customs crack down on solid waste smuggling and safeguard ecological security

Guarding the country's borders! Guangzhou Customs recently seized 24.6 tons of foreign garbage from the import freight channel at Shunde Port in Foshan. These goods contain various elements such as nickel, cobalt, manganese, and lithium, and are sourced from materials obtained from the treatment of waste lithium-ion batteries. They belong to foreign garbage that is prohibited from import in China; Officials from Huangdao Customs under Qingdao Customs recently seized a batch of imported copper concentrate with a total weight of 2630.67 tons. After laboratory testing, the arsenic content in this batch of copper concentrate exceeded the prescribed limit by 56%.
Return to the country! Recently, a batch of goods declared as "alloy steel recycled steel raw materials" were opened for inspection at Tianjin Xingang Customs. Customs officers found that these goods were mainly in the form of shavings and shavings, with obvious rust, widespread oil contamination, and accompanied by obvious irritating odors. After identification, the goods belong to solid waste that is prohibited from import in China, totaling 40 tons. The customs has lawfully processed the return of this batch of goods.
Sentenced according to law! Ningbo Customs recently disclosed a case of smuggling and prohibiting the import of solid waste that has been sentenced by the judiciary. Five individuals involved in the case smuggled 9063 tons of waste cotton yarn and were sentenced to imprisonment of more than three years each. The seized leftover materials and wastes mixed with leaf crumbs, cottonseed shells and other impurities are at risk of carrying harmful animals and plants. Textiles made from raw materials that have not been quarantined and disinfection and sterilization will bring health hazards.
China prohibits the import of foreign garbage in any form, and prohibits the dumping, stacking, and disposal of foreign garbage in China. Import enterprises must strictly comply with the Solid Waste Pollution Prevention and Control Law of the People's Republic of China and relevant laws and regulations. For those who illegally import foreign garbage into China, the customs shall order them to return and impose fines in accordance with the law. Those who commit crimes will be held criminally responsible in accordance with the law. By comprehensively strengthening the joint prevention and control of port risks, China has severely cracked down on the false reporting of solid waste, maintained a high-pressure crackdown on the smuggling of "foreign garbage" into the country, and resolutely built a strong defense line for national security.
As a frontline force in protecting the ecological environment, customs of various countries are responding to and cracking down on the illegal trade of harmful substances through closer international cooperation. The World Customs Organization encourages member customs to take proactive actions, strengthen relevant legislation, and work closely with partners.
On February 2nd, the General Administration of Customs announced the successful conclusion of the 11th "Goddess of the Earth" international joint law enforcement operation. This was initiated by Chinese customs under the framework of the World Customs Organization, setting a historical record with the participation of 120 member customs. Over 15500 tons of illegal waste, 168 tons of ozone depleting substances and hydrofluorocarbons, and 5.8 tons of other hazardous chemicals were seized. The pragmatic law enforcement achievements demonstrate the leading role and responsibility of Chinese customs in global cross-border environmental governance.
Since 2018, the Chinese Customs has continuously initiated the fourth to eleventh phases of actions to promote the "Goddess of the Earth" as the only public product for global customs ecological environment law enforcement cooperation. Ian Sanders, Secretary General of the World Customs Organization, highly appreciates the spirit of partnership and positive contributions demonstrated by Chinese customs in enhancing global customs capabilities and operational preparations, as well as their support for the World Customs Organization's Green Customs Initiative through the "Goddess of the Earth" series of actions. In this operation, Chinese customs anchored the goal of "green customs", joined forces with other countries to implement relevant international rules, strengthened targeted supervision with key regions such as Southeast Asia and West Africa in response to the drifting characteristics of solid waste smuggling areas, explored diverse return modes, and consolidated source control responsibilities.
For the first time, textile waste has been included in the key control measures in this operation, successfully intercepting 1176 tons of related waste and responding accurately to the environmental challenges brought by the global fast fashion industry. Meanwhile, the law enforcement achievements in areas such as plastic waste and electronic waste have confirmed the deep alignment between international policies and law enforcement practices.
It is reported that Chinese customs continuously strengthens the analysis of high-risk goods, enhances on-site supervision and solid waste identification capabilities, and focuses on precise prevention and control of sensitive goods; Technology empowers and upgrades the 'smart customs', relying on intelligent map review and solid waste identification algorithms to improve inspection and seizure efficiency. The number of domestic solid waste criminal smuggling cases has decreased from 699 in 2019-2021 to 261 in 2022-2024, and further reduced to 38 in 2025. The amount of waste involved has decreased from 2.435 million tons to 332400 tons, and then further reduced to 8300 tons, showing a sustained downward trend. In addition, China Customs deepens cross-border collaboration, relies on the World Customs Organization platform to promote intelligence sharing and case investigation, and builds a full chain governance system.