According to a news report, the latest UN statistics showed that 70% of electronic devices such as TV sets, refrigerators, computers, mobile phones and other components flow back to China, the world's second largest producer of electronic devices, after completing their service across the world.
China has become the world's largest e-waste factory. Currently the world has an annual production of 50 million tons of e-waste and China ranks the second with 2.3 million tons of e-waste. But more than 70% of the world's e-waste finally flows back to China through every possible channel. In some cities in South China, an industry chain processing electronic wastes has already been formed. And these e-wastes have become a source of profits. These electronic wastes, unwelcomed by other countries, are eroding China's air, soil and water.
There are reasons why so many e-wastes are coming to developing countries: the cost of processing e-waste in developed countries is usually ten times more than that of exporting e-waste to developing countries, given the fact that exporting e-waste is comparatively low-cost. Meanwhile, processing e-waste will also be regulated under strict laws and regulations in developed countries. But in some developed countries, exporting e-waste is legal. For this reason, developing countries with loose regulations and low costs are usually the destinations of e-waste from developed countries. For export merchants in developed countries, exporting e-waste is not only feasible but also profitable.
Large industry chain processing e-waste in developing countries is also attracting e-waste from developed countries. At some towns in Guangdong Province, the annual amount of e-wastes processed is calculated in millions of tons. It is in the interest of the whole industrial chain that a large number of e-waste is dumped here. For mobile phones, workers use their bare hands to crack open electronics to strip away any parts that can be reused and other parts will be "cooked" to liberate raw materials. Around 300g to 400g gold and 500g silver can be extracted from one ton of waste mobile phones and total profit can reach 10,000 yuan. Zinc manganese alloy can also be collected from batteries in e-waste. When useful parts have been extracted, some processors will discard residual environmentally-harmful parts, which will cause irreversible contamination to the environment.
According to rules and regulations of China, e-waste is prohibited from importing. It was set very clear by the then State Environmental Protection Bureau and the General Administration of Customs that 11 categories of e-waste such as TV sets, kinescope, computers, monitors, display tubes, etc, was banned from importing since April 1, 2000. But some importers are driven by economic incentives and therefore, always lie about items they import. For example, they declare e-waste as "waste plastics" or "waste metals", or even smuggle e-wastes. According to China's regulations, "waste plastics" or "waste metals" shall be treated in an environmentally harmless manner.
Departments concerned shall strengthen law enforcement to plug channels of shipment of e-waste and track imported e-waste as well as crack down illegal processing sites of e-waste. In terms of management system, e-waste shall become a major focus. Currently, China's "Regulations on Management of the Recycling of Waste Electronic Products" and "Category of Processing Electronic Waste" only focus on traditional e-wastes such as TV sets, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners and computers. Regulations on new e-waste such as mobile phones, MP4s, shall also be introduced.