British waste management firm, Biffa, has been convicted of breaking the law by sending household rubbish to China that was labelled as waste paper. Instead, the bundles included nappies, sanitary towels and condoms, according to the Environment Agency, which prosecuted the waste giant. Biffa said it "strongly contested" the decision and was considering making an appeal. But the Environment Agency said jurors did not accept Biffa's claim that the contaminated bundles were made up of waste paper. Biffa argued that its containers were regularly inspected by Chinese customs agents. It also said the firms buying the waste often inspected containers before they were shipped to make sure they contained 98.5 percent paper, which is the industry standard. It has been illegal to send unsorted household waste to China since 2006. Paper can legally be sent to the country, but other heavily contaminated waste cannot. The Environment Agency said it found "everything from women's underwear and plastic bottles to metal pipes" in a number of 25-tonne containers that were bound for China.

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