Effect Analysis of the TOHANO Policy on WEEE Recycling in China

摘要

Serious adverse impacts on the environment and human health from WEEE recycling have occurred in the past, due to a lack of systematic national management strategies, and if appropriate measures are not put into effect, may continue to occur in China future. In this study, the definition and generation of WEEE in China were identified, and the effects of TOHANO policy on WEEE recycling system were discussed based on the statistics data and other researches. The results showed that currently the number of EEEs in use and volume of WEEE in China were both tremendous, and due to existing of informal WEEE recycling, China is facing with serious WEEE problems. On the basis, TOHANO policy were issued and enforced since 2009, and had brought some positive changers of WEEE recycling in China. TOHANO policy provided a new WEEE flow except the traditional waste flow for the WEEE owners, and offered a subsidy for the collection, transport and dismantling of WEEE, which reduced the collection and transport costs, and increased the competitive ability with informal enterprises. Due to the new policy, huge amount of WEEE has entered into the formal WEEE recycling system, which solves the problem there is no WEEE processed in formal enterprises. Because of subsidy from the governments and good benefits, some formal dismantling enterprises and demonstration projects began to try to apply new dismantling mode and treatment equipments in their treatment process. In addition, before and after end of TOHANO policy, what policies can maintain and further improve the WEEE recycling is discussed, and the RRTWEEP enforced on January 1, 2011 is considered to be able to well link up with TOHANO policy, and promotes the further development of WEEE recycling in China.