2026 Hong Kong Exit and Destruction List: Which Goods Must Not Be Returned to Hong Kong for Processing

2026 Hong Kong Exit and Destruction List: Which Goods Must Not Be Returned to Hong Kong for Processing

The return and destruction of goods in Hong Kong is a cross-border waste disposal activity. It is subject to dual supervision by the customs, inspection and quarantine, environmental protection regulations of the mainland, as well as the "Waste Disposal Ordinance", "Public Health and Municipal Affairs Ordinance", and "Hong Kong Customs Ordinance" of Hong Kong. It also complies with the requirements for the control of cross-border transfer of hazardous waste under the "Basel Convention". 

Some enterprises have a misconception: they believe that if goods have been scrapped and have no circulation value, they can be exempted from the import/export restrictions. In fact, the attributes of the goods and the category control attributes will not be exempted from supervision just because they are scrapped or destroyed for a certain purpose. The following categories are absolute red lines and there is no any permission or special channel to handle the return and destruction at the port. After declaration, the goods will be directly rejected by the port and seized. In severe cases, legal consequences such as administrative penalties and confiscation of goods will occur. This article is only for policy popularization and explanation, and does not involve any business promotion. 

1. Weapons, ammunition, and controlled items (Permanently prohibited from being returned to Hong Kong for destruction) 

This category falls under the unified import/export ban by the two customs offices. Whether it is brand new, damaged, or scrapped, it is strictly prohibited from being exported or imported. There is no exemption for destruction purposes. 

All types of firearms, air guns, tranquilizer guns, imitation guns, gun parts, bullets and ammunition; 

2. Explosive and shock-inducing items such as grenades, detonators, gunpowder, fireworks, tear gas grenades, and incendiary devices; 

3. Controlled knives include daggers, three-pronged knives, spring-loaded switchblades, military knives, and samurai swords; 

4. Aggressive control devices such as stun guns, pepper spray, and riot control batons; 

5. Drone-compatible launch and impact modification accessories, standard control launch devices. 

Regulatory basis: The "Firearms Management Law" of the mainland, and the prohibited items list of the Hong Kong customs; once such goods are inspected and seized, they will be directly detained. The enterprises and the responsible parties for the declaration must undergo law enforcement investigations. 

II. Flammable, explosive, radioactive, highly toxic, and biochemical hazardous substances 

Goods with high environmental and public safety risks are prohibited from being transferred and destroyed across borders by both the local environmental protection authorities and customs. 

High-pressure gas cylinders, liquid gas, industrial explosives, strong oxidants, and self-igniting chemical waste materials; 

2. Radioactive sources, radioactive-coated waste materials, and discarded radioactive components from industrial radiography. 

3. Highly toxic chemicals, highly potent pesticides, arsenic/cyanide-containing waste materials, and unknown liquid corrosive hazardous waste; 

4. Infectious medical waste, medical pathological specimens, discarded vaccines, and experimental consumables carrying pathogens; 

5. Abandoned biochemical reagents, microbial strains, and virus cultivation waste. 

Additional note: Ordinary waste batteries and waste circuit boards are classified as restricted hazardous waste. Completing the environmental protection permit procedures in both locations will enable compliant transfer out of the port; however, this category of highly toxic, radioactive, and infectious materials are absolutely prohibited. No applications for cross-border transfer will be accepted. 

III. Anesthetic drugs, psychotropic medications, and unlicensed medical waste materials 

All kinds of drugs such as opium, heroin, morphine, methamphetamine, as well as semi-finished products and raw materials for drug production; 

2. The state classifies and regulates psychotropic drugs, controlled antibiotics, and other easily-toxic chemicals containing ephedrine; 

3. Expired prescription drugs, Chinese patent medicines, and CBD products that have no original factory registration and no approval documents from the Health Department; 

4. Unidentified discarded injections, chemotherapy waste materials, and unregistered veterinary tube-based pharmaceuticals. 

Based on: "Regulations on Anesthetic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances", and the drug import control of the Hong Kong Department of Health; expired drugs do not mean they can be destroyed across borders. The lack of complete chain drug filing documents will directly result in interception. 

IV. Living organisms, animals and plants, endangered species and their products (biological safety red line) 

Subject to the provisions of the "Biological Safety Law" and the "Entry-Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine Law", even for the purpose of destruction, it is not allowed to be exported abroad. 

Live livestock, aquatic products, insects, laboratory animals, saplings, seeds, plants with soil attached; 

2. Unsanitized animal and plant ingredients such as meat, eggs, fresh aquatic products, bird's nest, and shark fin; 

3. Ivory, rhino horns, pangolin skins, wild animal furs, bones, and specimens; 

4. Agarwood, dendrobium, coral, wild orchids and other rare and protected plants as well as their processing waste; 

5. Wooden packaging subject to quarantine control, and discarded agricultural and forestry materials containing eggs of pests. 

Core rule: All animal and plant-derived goods leaving the country must present complete quarantine certificates. Products of endangered species are permanently prohibited from being exported and there is no green channel for their destruction. 

V. Infringement of copyright, obscene and illegal publications, goods infringing intellectual property rights 

Counterfeit brand clothing, bags, 3C accessories, counterfeit cosmetics, infringing packaging and defective inventory. 

2. Pirated CDs, pirated books, storage media for audio-visual content, and pirated software hard drives; 

3. Obscene and pornographic printed materials, audio-visual carriers, and illegal religious propaganda printed materials; 

4. Counterfeit trademarked products, counterfeit patented molds, and defective counterfeit anti-counterfeiting labels. 

The customs authorities of the two regions conduct special inspections on goods infringing on intellectual property rights. Such goods can only be destroyed on the mainland under supervision and are prohibited from being repatriated for processing. 

VI. Cultural relics, precious metal raw materials, and strategic control materials 

Ancient coins, porcelain, calligraphy and paintings, unearthed relics, and remnants of ancient objects with historical value; 

2. Unprocessed raw diamond ore, unadulterated gold and silver ore without import/export licenses for precious metals, and rare metal slag; 

3. Classified components, military support accessories, restricted communication equipment, encrypted storage hard drives with classified data; 

4. Waste materials from chemical, electronic and precision instrument industries that are included in the dual-use items control list. 

The export of strategic materials and cultural relics requires special approval. The approval process is only for legal trade and circulation, and does not open up channels for the export of items for scrapping or destruction. 

VII. High-risk food items without basic quarantine qualifications (cannot be returned to Hong Kong for destruction) 

Not all expired food is prohibited. High-risk dairy and meat products without complete batch quarantine and hygiene filing documents fall under the red line for returning to Hong Kong for destruction: 

Expired infant formula milk powder without original factory hygiene certificates and without production enterprise registration. 

2. Unexamined and expired fresh meat, eggs, and liquid dairy products; 

3. Unidentified bulk fermented foods, moldy grains and oils, and bulk expired health supplements. 

Distinguishing Information: Ordinary pre-packaged snacks, products with intact packaging that have expired dates, can apply for departure from the port after completing the basic documents; however, high-risk foods such as dairy products and fresh meat require strict quarantine documents as a prerequisite. Without these documents, they will not be allowed to pass through the customs directly. 

VIII. The mainland has explicitly prohibited the export of solid waste and mixed-polluted domestic garbage. 

The "Directory for Prohibiting the Export of Solid Wastes" in the mainland specifies waste materials, mixed waste plastics, and unsorted domestic garbage. 

2. Bulk sludge, contaminated soil, and construction waste materials; 

3. The Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department clearly states that there are no local disposal facilities for bulk waste paper and mixed contaminated waste. 

4. Mixed waste materials containing various hazardous wastes and ordinary goods, which cannot be separated. 

According to the "Law on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Wastes", domestic solid wastes that are prohibited from being exported cannot evade their domestic disposal obligations by going through the "return to the port for destruction" process. 

IX. Other Special Categories Strictly Prohibited from Return, Rejection and Destruction 

Electronic cigarettes, cartridges, and waste materials of semi-finished tobacco products (Hong Kong has completely banned the import of electronic cigarettes); 

2. Illegal satellite receiving equipment, unapproved electronic signal interference devices 

3. Counterfeit official seals, template documents, forged bills, defective semi-finished products; 

4. Industrial waste containing polychlorinated biphenyls and persistent organic pollutants, without a special cross-border transfer approval document. 

X. Explanation of Consequences for Violating the Red Line Regulations 

If an enterprise conceals the nature of the goods and falsely reports the product name in an attempt to declare the above-mentioned red-line goods for port return and destruction, the following compliance risks will arise: 

The mainland customs directly rejected the orders and seized the goods, resulting in the goods being stranded at the port and incurring high storage and container rental costs. 

2. Hand over to the customs enforcement department for inspection and impose an administrative penalty based on a percentage of the value of the goods. 

3. The credit rating of the enterprise has been downgraded, which affects the subsequent processing of bonded and export operations. 

4. After being seized by the Environmental Protection Department of Hong Kong and the Customs, the goods were directly confiscated and not accepted for destruction. 

Hong Kong Tel: 852-52664790. Liangji Recycling and Reuse Co., Ltd. has obtained international certifications such as Quality Management (ISO 9001), Environmental Management (ISO 14001), and Information Security Management (ISO 27001). It is safe, formal and professional. We offer a complete service including recycling, reusing, and destruction of waste in Hong Kong. - Looking forward to your call and jointly starting a new chapter where environmental protection and value coexist!