This study is led by Dr. Wanjun Wang (Henan University) and Dr. ** (Institute of Urban Environment, the Chinese Academy of Sciences). The research team developed China's first city-level spatiotemporal database (cMAC-EEEs) for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), yielding critical insights into the country's WEEE management patterns.
Through analyzing WEEE generation from five major appliance categories (televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, and computers) across 301 prefecture-level cities (1978-2017), the team identified distinct regional disparities. Eastern regions showed high stock with slow growth, while central and western regions exhibited low baselines with rapid growth. Computers and air conditioners demonstrated particularly high obsolescence rates. Although institutional sources (enterprises and public institutions) are emerging as significant WEEE contributors, their generation volumes and disposal pathways remain largely unquantified. Currently, China's 109 certified treatment facilities are primarily located in eastern and central regions, leaving western provinces like Tibet and Hainan without adequate infrastructure. This has resulted in formal recycling rates below 20% for refrigerant-containing appliances like refrigerators and air conditioners.
The study highlights the urgent need for an enhanced recycling system and proposes three key measures: (1) implementing city-level WEEE monitoring systems to inform facility planning; (2) strengthening interregional coordination to address capacity gaps in western provinces; and (3) developing targeted recycling policies for high-risk products (particularly refrigerators and air conditioners) and major sources like institutional generators. These recommendations align with China's 2020 Implementation Plan for Improving the Recycling and Treatment System of Used Household Appliances to Promote Appliance Renewal and Consumption, which mandated urban recycling networks. The cMAC-EEEs database provides the first comprehensive national map of WEEE spatiotemporal distribution, offering valuable evidence to guide policy improvements in this critical area.
See the article:
Spatiotemporal dynamics of city-level WEEE generation from different sources in China
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42524-024-0310-8
DOI: 10.1007/s42524-024-0310-8