Electronic devices. (Photo: Worker's Daily/Wu Fan)
(ECNS) -- China will initiate a three-year pilot trial to establish a recycling system as over 200 million devices weighing a total of more than 5 million tons go to waste every year, Worker's Daily reported.
China currently ranks No. 1 in the world in terms of both producing and scrapping electronic products.
It now lacks both supervision and standard criteria when it comes to electronic waste management. Mishandled waste has not only caused severe environmental and health concerns, but also wasted a significant amount of natural resources that could have otherwise been recycled.
To tackle the problem at its root, electronic device manufacturers are required to shoulder more accountability in waste management, according to a statement jointly issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the Ministry of Commerce, and the Ministry of Science and Technology.
The three-year pilot trial is aimed to encourage and assist manufacturers in ensuring their expired products are appropriately handled as waste. China will also push for more efficient use of natural resources, as well as encourage integrated innovation to protect the environment.
