The amount of scrapped household appliances is up to 50 million units per year

Dong Mingzhu, deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC) deputies who are participating in the “two sessions” in Beijing, proposed to legislate to impose mandatory standards for the scrapping of household appliances. The basis behind this is that China’s annual theoretical scrap amount has exceeded 50 million units and is growing at an average annual rate of 20%. Large-scale appliances that exceed their useful life are still being used and have gradually become a huge hidden danger for people’s family safety. The recycling of old electrical appliances still faces the disorderly situation of “Kowloon water control”. Dong Mingzhu proposes to develop “urban mines” and legislate to recycle resources.

According to the data released by the National Development and Reform Commission, according to the calculation of the service life, China's annual theoretical scrap amount has exceeded 50 million units and is growing at an average annual rate of 20%. It is estimated that by the end of the “Twelfth Five-Year Plan”, the annual output of five categories of home appliances such as color TVs, air conditioners, and refrigerators will amount to 160 million units.

Each home appliance has its own service life. If it exceeds this time, the aging of electronic components, lines and other components can easily cause fire and other issues, bringing great danger to life and property. Dong Mingzhu believes that the legislation stipulates that compulsory retirement standards for household appliances are necessary. She suggested that the legislation stipulates the mandatory retirement standards for household appliances to stipulate the period of safe use of electrical products, asks users to expire and responsibility issues, and establishes a recycling network for scrapped home appliances to promote the development of circular economy.

However, the current situation in the country is that home appliances cannot only be forcibly scrapped, and even the recycling channels for old appliances are quite imperfect. How to turn these e-wastes into "urban mines" instead of "environmental bombs" urgently requires legislative protection at the national level.

Dong Mingzhu suggested that the government issue a mandatory policy for the Recycling System, and establish and improve the recycling system by establishing a public recycling platform for e-waste to form a recycling model that encourages the participation of all citizens.

Moreover, it is recommended that the government set up a special e-waste management department to take full responsibility for managing the entire recycling process of waste household appliances and electronic products, ending the current “Kowloon Water Control” disorder.