China is speeding up efforts to formulate precise regulations on
the collection and disposal of electronic garbage, an official at
the National Development and Reform Commission said yesterday.
"The State Council has made the regulations a priority in its
administrative legislation plan for 2006," said the official, who
identified himself only as Guan.
However, he added that it was still too early to say when the
Regulation on Reclaiming and Disposing of Waste or Used Home
Appliances and Electronic Products would be completed.
"The regulation will improve the nation's system for reclaiming
and disposing of electronic garbage, such as TV sets, refrigerators
and computers," Guan said. "It will promote recycling of resources
as well as protect the environment."
The regulation should encourage the creation and development of
enterprises specializing in the reclamation and disposal of
electronic garbage. These enterprises will have to pass national
qualification tests and obtain licenses.
Under the regulations, manufacturers and distributors of home
appliances as well as after-service providers will be obliged to
reclaim waste and used products and sell them on to licensed
disposal enterprises.
Consumers will have to turn over or sell electronic garbage to
distributors or disposal enterprises. The new regulations will ban
unlicensed purchasing and selling of electronic garbage.
Wang Yukui, secretary general of the China Home Appliances
Maintenance Association, said that professional disposal
enterprises would play a pivotal role in tackling electronic
garbage.
Wang said many professional disposal enterprises in China are
currently facing an insufficient supply of goods due to competition
from small operations.
"Due to a lack of governmental supervision and relevant laws or
regulations, a huge amount of electronic garbage has flowed into
shabby private workshops, making a poor use of the garbage and
causing much pollution," Wang said.
Statistics show that China discards about 5 million TV sets, 4
million refrigerators, 6 million washing machines, and 10 million
mobile phones every year.
The State Environmental Protection Administration recently
admitted that electronic garbage from developed countries is still
illegally entering some coastal provinces despite a ban on the
importing of electronic garbage in 2002.
(China Daily November 13, 2006)
