Shanghai customs has sent back tens of thousands of tons of foreign garbage this year — no, that’s not a new official term for laowai.

China was once the world’s garbage dump but changed course at the beginning of 2018, instituting a ban on foreign trash imports which left many companies scrambling for alternatives.

Rather than seek out other options for their rubbish, some have simply continued sending their paper, plastics, and metals to China, labeled as something else, hoping for the shipment to pass by customs inspectors without notice.

However, China has stepped up its checks this year. Earlier this month, customs in the city of Dalian announced that it had intercepted over 5,600 tons of foreign waste this year. Shanghai customs did even better, returning over 28,000 tons of the stuff.