|
Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
|
Electrical and electronic waste management in China: progress and the barriers to overcome
Xianbing Liu
Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
Masaru Tanaka
Graduate School of Environmental Science, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan, dns16621{at}cc.okayama-u.ac.jp, maxta{at}cc.okayama-u.ac.jp
Yasuhiro Matsui
Graduate School of Environmental Science, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
Serious adverse impacts on the environment and human health from e-waste recycling have occurred in the past and continue to occur in China today, due to a lack of national management strategies. China has made great efforts to face the challenges of the approaching peak increase in the domestic generation of e-waste and the illegal shipment of e-waste from other countries. This study examined recent progress and analysed the main problems associated with this issue in China. It was found that the material and the financial flows of e-waste in China had their own specific characteristics. Nearly 60% of the generated e-wastes were sold to private individual collectors and passed into informal recycling processes. More than 90% of Chinese citizens are reluctant to pay for the recycling of their e-waste. This is due to their traditional understanding that there remained value in these end-of-life products. Regulations concerning e-waste in China have been drafted but their deficiencies are obvious. The extended producer responsibilities (EPR) have been introduced but are not well defined. Eight formal facilities have been planned and are under construction or are in operation along the eastern coast of China but it will be difficult for them to compete with the informal processes for the reasons identified during the study.
Key Words: E-waste management • progress • barrier • China • wmr 917-3
References
- BAN (The Basel Action Network) & Silicon Valley Toxicity (SVTC, 2002): Exporting harms. http://www.svtc.org/cleancc/pubs/technotrash.
- Beijing Morning News (22 August 2005) ‘the representative of Beijing People’s Congress recommends to regulate the e-waste recycling and disposal’ .
- China Environmental News, Newspaper reports 1994-2004, not all the illegal cases are covered.
- China National Statistics Bureau (2004) Chinese Statistics Yearbook (1991- 2004) http://www.stats.gov.cn.
- Environmental Times (17 December 2004) E-waste recycling calls on policy support from the government . http://www.ep.net.cn.
- EU Directive 2002/96/EC of European Parliament and of the Council of 27 January 2003 on waste electrical and electronic equipments (WEEE), 13/02/2003, 2002. http://www.europe.eu.int/eur-lex/en/.
- Leung, A., Cai, Z.W., & Wong, M.H. (2004) Environmental contamination from e-waste recycling at Guiyu, Southeast China . In: Proceedings of the 3rd Workshop on Material Cycles and Waste Management in Asia, Tokyo, 14-15 December, pp. 73-84 .
- Lindquist, T. (2000) Extended Producer Responsibility in Cleaner Production. The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics, Lund University, Sweden .
- MOFTEC (Ministry of Foreign Trade & Economic Cooperation), CGA (Custom of General Administration) & SEPA (China State Environmental Protection Administration) Announcement No. 25 (July 3, 2002): Announcement for Issuing the List of Prohibited Goods (Group 4 & 5). http://www.sepa.gov.cn.
- NDRC (China State Development & Reform Commission) (17 September 2004): Public comments hearing announcement on ‘Ordinance on the Management of Waste Household Electrical and Electronic Products Recycling and Disposal’. http://www.sdpc.gov.cn.
- News issued in Chinese website (2003-2005) China are planning pilot program for e-waste collection and recycling: http://env.people.com.cn
- SEPA (China State Environmental Protection Administration) (26 August 2003) Notice on strengthening the environmental management of WEEE. http://www.sepa.gov.cn.
- SOHU. Survey on the awareness of public on e-waste in Beijing (June 2005). http://www.sohu.com.cn.
- Widmer, R., Oswald-Krapf, H., et al. (2005) Global perspective on e-waste . Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 25, 436-458 .[CrossRef][Web of Science]
Waste Management & Research, Vol. 24, No. 1,
92-101 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0734242X06062499
 CiteULike  Complore  Connotea  Del.icio.us  Digg  Reddit  Technorati  Twitter What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
|
|
 
O. Osibanjo and I.C. Nnorom
The challenge of electronic waste (e-waste) management in developing countries
Waste Management Research,
December 1, 2007;
25(6):
489 - 501.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
X. Liu, M. Tanaka, and Y. Matsui
Generation amount prediction and material flow analysis of electronic waste: a case study in Beijing, China
Waste Management Research,
October 1, 2006;
24(5):
434 - 445.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
