"The hazardous elements in the electrical appliances may leak without properly processing. It's harmful to the environment and human beings," said a manager of Tianyuan cyclic economy park in Yangquan, Shanxi province.
Household electrical waste should be properly handled, he added, saying that it is imperative to establish a regular and orderly recycling market.
Scrapped household electrical appliances are rising in China, according to the Development and Reform Commission.
The number of discarded household electrical appliances is estimated to exceed 50 million sets per year. The number will hit 160 million by the end of the 12th Five Year Plan (2011-2015).
Scrapped electrical appliances are an important source of “urban minerals” which can be reused and recycled. However, most scrapped appliances are discarded without proper handling, while some of them are repaired and returned to the market, though they are already expired their utilization periods.
Throwing away household appliances without proper safety measures can have potential risks for safety and environment.
National policies to support recycling of electrical appliances is working. The measures implemented in 2012 designated a manufacturer responsibility system. Qualified recycling and disassembly enterprises are granted a subsidy of 35 ($5.65) to 85 yuan for every dismantled TV, refrigerator, washing machine, air-conditioner and computer, the subsidies are collected from the manufacturers and importers of the five kinds of electrical appliances.
To date, over 100 certified companies are engaging in dismantling electrical appliances, including Tianyuan cyclic economy park in Shanxi province. In this cyclic economy park, scrapped appliances are processed into plastics, bronze, iron or glass, and used as industrial materials. All the dismantling is done under video monitoring by local environmental protection authorities.
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A worker writes numbers on scrapped televisions in Tianyuan cyclic economy park, Shanxi province, on May 21. [Photo by Yan Yan/Xinhua] |
