In this undated photo, workers check a load of imported leather scraps in China’s Xiamen, Fujian province. (LIN SHANCHUAN / XINHUA)

BEIJING - Guangzhou customs in south China's Guangdong province has shipped back two batches of imported solid waste to where it originated, the General Administration of Customs said in a statement Friday.

Intercepted during an inspection, the garbage, weighing a total of 240 tonnes, has been identified as mixture of zinc oxide and zinc-blended leftovers, according to the statement.

China started barring all solid waste imports from Jan 1, with the dumping, stacking and disposal of waste products from overseas on Chinese territory also banned

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Combined with dirt, coal cinder and unoxidized metal, such waste would pose a threat to the environment when being processed, the statement said.

China started barring all solid waste imports from Jan 1, with the dumping, stacking and disposal of waste products from overseas on Chinese territory also banned.

READ MORE: Progress made on ban of solid waste imports

The country began importing solid waste as a source of raw materials in the 1980s, and for years it has been the world's largest importer. With a growing public awareness of environmental protection and the country's transition to greener economic growth, China started phasing out imports of solid waste in 2017.