Indonesia returned seven containers with garbage illegally imported from France and Hong Kong to exporters, representatives of the Indonesian authorities told reporters on Tuesday.

According to data from the customs service of the Indonesian island of Batam, the containers contained wastes containing plastic and toxic substances, which violates the rules of import.

“The containers left the port on Monday, officials controlled the ships,” said local authorities, noting that five containers were sent to Hong Kong and two to France.

The Indonesian authorities also continue to wait for clarification in order to return another 42 bins from US, Australia and Germany.

Jakarta has tightened control over imported garbage in recent months because it does not want to be a landfill site for waste from abroad. Recently, Indonesians have increasingly begun to return garbage to exporting countries.

The world community has expressed concern about plastic pollution after the appearance of images of rivers overflowing with waste in South-East Asia and photos of dead sea creatures who died from the effects of plastic.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, about 300 million tons of plastic are produced annually, most of which is dumped or pollutes the sea, leading to a serious environmental crisis on a global scale.