Article by Phyllis Lau

E-waste refers loosely discarded, surplus, obsolete and broken electronic devices. Some E-waste contains toxic materials such as lead, cadmium, beryllium and mercury which can cause health and environmental pollution problems if not handled properly. The E-waste can be turned into useful materials after refurbishment and extraction. Electronic waste is becoming an increasingly pressing issue in China with the surging of the sales of electronics. It is predicted that China will produce more than 6 million tonnes of electronic discards in 2020.

One of the biggest challenges is about the recycling of the printed circuit boards in electronic wastes. The circuit boards contain precious metals like gold, silver, platinum and some base metals such as copper, iron, aluminum, etc. Conventional method is mechanical shredding and separation. In this way the recycling efficiency is low. Alternative method such as cryogenic decomposition has been studies for printed circuit board recycling, and some other methods are still under researching.

Recycling raw materials from discarded electronics is the most effective solution to the growing E-waste problem. Most electronic devices contain a variety of materials that can be recovered. By dismantling and providing reuse possibilities, intact natural resources are conserved and air and water pollution caused by hazardous disposal is avoided. Additionally, recycling reduces the amount of greenhouse gas emissions caused by the manufacturing of new products. It simply makes good sense and is efficient to recycle and to keep the environment green.

Recently, a company aimed at recycling electronic waste is planned to built in east China’s Zhejiang province. funded by Japan’s Panasonic, Sumitomo, DOWA group and China’s Hangzhou Dadi Environmental Protection Co Ltd, the main concentration of the company will be collecting and recycling those home applications that are not in use any more, for example, television sets, washing machines, refrigerators, ,air conditioners, copiers, fax machines and computers. The Panasonic Dadi Dowa Summit Recycling Co Ltd will be located in Tonglu county under the jurisdiction of Hangzhou city with a cost of 121.7 million yuan (18.8 million dollars).

The project will start in June and is designed to have the ability to recycle 500.000 to 1 million discarded home appliances per year. It is expected to reach completion in the first month of next year. The general manager of the new company will be Katsuyuki Mikawa.

The Japanese companies will be mainly responsible for providing managerial experience and advanced technology to the joint venture for an environmentally friendly and energy efficient project. 35 percent of the shares of the company will be hold by Panasonic and Dadi, while 18 percent by DOWA and 12 percent Sumitomo.

The central government has realized the importance of recycling and centralized treatment of E-waste. A regulation issued by the State Council, China’s Cabinet, has been available since January 1st to make sure recycling the E-waste under the unified management. The related integrated circuit is LA1826.