China is to introduce new legislation from next January designed to reduce waste and environmental pollution. It will require old electrical and electronic goods to be sent to a government authorised facility for processing before recycling. A licensing system will be established and only businesses holding licenses will be permitted to dispose and recycle e-waste. In addition, a central system will be set up for dealing with e-waste collected by manufacturers, retailers and repairers. The new central treatment facilities must be adequately equipped to treat pollutants according to prescribed environmental standards. Unlicensed disposal operations will be closed and violators will be liable to substantial fines.
China currently produces over 10 million items of e-waste per annum and the Government hopes to put an end to methods of handling e-waste that are dangerous to health and the environment and include burning material in the open and soaking in acid. The new regulation is designed to recover valuable materials such as copper, aluminium and iron and reduce pollution caused by currently uncontrolled processes.
Importantly, the legislation will cover the increasing amounts of e-waste coming to China from the developed world. It is estimated that 80% of the planet’s electronic waste is exported to Asia and 90% of that total goes to China.