China has declared war on an omnipresent health hazard: Garbage. Imported foreign garbage remains a big problem for China, but Chinese people are also part of the problem. For years, China has benefited enormously from recyclable plastic imports due to the resulting energy production and boom in low-value added manufacturing. But, such disposal of overseas waste has proved detrimental to our environment and health. 

The Chinese authorities recently decided to ban 24 categories of imported garbage. It is very strange that while we have been importing millions of tons of foreign rubbish, much of our own industrial and medical waste fail to be disposed of in time, causing devastating pollution at home. Besides, neither landfills nor incineration can live up to our new standards of environmental protection. 

Rising consumption by China's expanding middle class over the past decade has seen the country become the world's biggest garbage generator by weight. The explosive growth in e-commerce saw 31 billion parcels delivered in China last year – 44 percent of the global total. 

As early as 2000, China launched a pilot garbage-sorting program in Beijing and Shanghai. Sadly, 17 years later, the results are far from satisfactory. Public awareness has long been a barrier to properly classifying and packaging urban waste. People need to learn the rules, but it also takes sustained effort by officials to convince them that recycling is a civic responsibility. 

Japan sets a very good example in disposing of waste through careful sorting. Their awareness and efficiency are laudable, and should be unconditionally exemplified. This is an issue of great urgency as we need to educate folks and raise the alarm first. 

China is besieged by garbage, yet most of its citizens have no idea about the scale and impact. This is scary. Legislation and the media should be fully mobilized to defend our homeland. The enemy comes from within. We were part of the problem. It is time to fix it. It is time to declare war. It's tragic that in the past US trash used to be China's fortune and treasure, but I'm fully confident Chinese people have what it takes to change trash into treasure through more efficient waste renewal technologies.