Beijing, Dec 29 (IANS): China's ban on importing 24 types of waste that comes into force on January 1, will serve as a wake-up call to countries that export waste to seek more sustainable methods, environmental organisation Greenpeace said on Friday.

The measure, announced in July, prohibits the entry into China of 24 types of waste grouped into four categories: domestic plastics, unsorted paper, various types of mine slag and textile waste, reports Efe news.

For Greenpeace, this prohibition will send warnings around the world and will promote the search for methods to generate less waste and to treat them adequately in the country of origin just as within China.

"Rather than find new places to export waste, governments and the private sector must find ways to simply reduce the amount of waste we are creating," it said in a statement.

Since the 1980s, China has been the world's largest waste importer and in 2012, 56 per cent of global exported plastic waste ended up in China, according to Greenpeace data.