【Abstract】The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system is an important environmental policy and an important means to effectively manage waste electrical and electronic products. The system extends the responsibility of producers to the entire life cycle of their products, especially the responsibility for recycling and disposal of discarded products after consumption, thereby reducing the impact of discarded products on the environment. This article analyzes the current status of EPR implementation in three different types of economies, and proposes enlightenment and suggestions for China's implementation of the extended producer responsibility system for e-waste management.

 

　　【Keywords】Extension of Producer Responsibility; Electronic Waste; Recycling; Disposal

 

The concept of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) first appeared in a report of the Swedish Federal Environmental Protection Agency. It means that “producers must not only bear the economic responsibility for product quality and performance, but also bear product scrap The subsequent environmental and social responsibility aims to reduce the negative impact of products on the environment through the manufacturer's responsibility for the entire life cycle of the product, especially the recovery, recycling and final disposal of the product."

 

Beginning in the 1990s, the European Union, Japan and other developed countries have gradually adopted relevant legislation to promote the concept of EPR in the fields of packaging materials, electrical and electronic equipment, automobiles, etc., in order to improve the level of waste management and resource recovery capabilities, and reduce the economic cost of government waste management. And achieved good results. However, the external environment for the implementation of EPR in developed countries is very different from that in developing countries, and its successful experience cannot be simply copied.

 

　　 1. Current status of EPR implementation

 

　　 The implementation of EPR policies is closely related to the degree of economic and social development. The following describes the current status of EPR implementation in three different types of economies.

 

　　First, industrialized economies: Industrialized economies have years of experience in EPR legislation. The EPR system has been basically established, and the responsibilities of manufacturers have been clarified under the legal framework, and a supervision and implementation system has been established. Japan’s "Home Appliance Recycling and Recycling Law" that has been implemented since 2001 clearly stipulates that manufacturers and importers have the responsibility for recycling, sellers have the responsibility for recycling and transportation, and consumers bear the cost of recycling and transportation of waste home appliances. (Figure 1).

 

 

There are two recycling channels for waste home appliances, one is through the sellers, and the other is collected at a special collection point set up by the municipal government. After recycling, it is sent to the designated collection point; from the designated collection point to the waste home appliance recycling facility by the manufacturer Or its entrusted company is responsible. Consumers pay the recycling processing fee directly at the recycling point. In order to ensure that the person responsible for recycling fulfills the responsibility of recycling and transportation, the entire recycling process adopts the "management ticket system", which is similar to the transfer order system in my country. Through the development of the past ten years, Japan has formed a complete industrial chain of waste electrical and electronic product processing from recycling, transportation to disposal. All links are closely connected, effective operation, and resource recovery rate and recycling volume have been significantly improved. The industrial distribution of waste home appliance recycling and processing in Japan is composed of dealer recycling outlets all over the country, 380 designated recycling points, and 48 recycling facilities. From recycling, transportation to final recycling and disposal, it takes on a triangular distribution.

 

Switzerland promulgated the "Regulations on the Return, Recycling and Disposal of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (hereinafter referred to as ORDEE)" in 1998, which stipulates that consumers, manufacturers or importers, sellers and disposers must bear the corresponding recycling and disposal responsibilities (Figure 2) .

 

 

　　 Consumers must return waste electrical and electronic products to the public collection point established by the seller, manufacturer/importer, or Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) free of charge. Switzerland also stipulates that if consumers dispose of e-waste as domestic waste, they need to charge a certain fee; but if e-waste is sent to designated collection points or returned to sellers, there is no need to pay. Sellers must recycle the same type of electrical and electronic products returned by consumers for free, and these electrical and electronic products are not restricted by brands. The seller must send the collected waste electrical and electronic products to a processor that has a contractual relationship with the PRO organization. Manufacturers and importers must recycle the electrical and electronic products manufactured or imported by them from consumers or sellers free of charge. They can dispose of e-waste by themselves or hand it over to a processor that has a contractual relationship with the PRO organization for disposal. When disposing of e-waste, a processor must first obtain a disposal permit from the Swiss Cantonal Environmental Protection Agency and ensure that it adopts the "best disposal technology". In addition, the processor must also sign a contract with the PRO organization. Exporters must obtain an export license issued by the Swiss Federal Environmental Protection Agency when exporting waste electrical and electronic products. Exporters must ensure that the electronic waste in the export is properly treated and disposed of abroad, and that they comply with the relevant laws and standards of the importing country.

 

Second, emerging economies: fast-growing emerging economies, such as China, Malaysia, Thailand, etc., have promulgated or are drafting laws based on EPR, but most of them have not been fully implemented, and the draft legislation does not explicitly mention production The person shall bear the responsibility for recycling and disposal. At present, since the recycling and processing of e-waste in these countries involves multiple competing stakeholders, including retailers and mobile collectors, the existence of their illegal trading market hinders the establishment of a standardized recycling and processing system.

 

As early as 2005, my country’s "Solid Waste Pollution Prevention and Control Law" has clearly reflected the EPR policy. Article 18 stipulates: "Products and packaging materials that are included in the compulsory recycling catalogue are produced, sold, and imported in accordance with the law. Enterprises must recycle the product and packaging in accordance with relevant state regulations." However, due to the "compulsory recycling catalogue" and other supporting policies and measures have not been issued yet, and producers and operators lack rigid constraints to carry out recycling and processing activities, so this provision has not been implemented. In addition, for the recycling and disposal of waste by producers and operators The responsibilities of electrical and electronic products have not yet been clearly stipulated. In recent years, the rapid economic and social development of our country has led to a sharp increase in the consumption of electrical and electronic products, and the production of waste electrical and electronic products has rapidly increased. It is estimated that there are about 20 to 30 million waste electrical and electronic products that are discarded and need to be dismantled each year. At the same time, foreign waste electrical and electronic products are imported in the name of second-hand electronic products or metal mixed waste, which has put tremendous pressure on processing and management.

 

 

Under the above background, my country began to implement the "Regulations on the Management of Waste Electrical and Electronic Products Recycling and Disposal" (hereinafter referred to as the "Regulations") in 2011. The development of the solution and treatment industry; encourage producers to recycle waste electrical and electronic products on their own or on commission; require producers or importers to adopt design schemes that are conducive to the comprehensive utilization of resources and harmless treatment. These regulations fully reflect the principles of EPR and are more suitable for my country's current management level and development stage. However, compared with the depth and breadth of EPR practices in developed countries, the design and implementation of EPR-related systems in my country are still in their infancy.

 

　　 Third, under-developed economies: Under-developed economies such as Laos and Cambodia have not yet enacted laws based on EPR, but they all show great interest in EPR. These countries do not have legislation specifically for e-waste, but they have introduced legislation applicable to general waste management. Due to insufficient management capabilities, irregular waste management is common, and they are facing an increasingly serious problem of e-waste pollution.

 

　　 2. Some enlightenments to the environmental management of electronic waste in my country

 

　　 The implementation of EPR in our country should be closely integrated with the actual situation of our country's e-waste management work. The following suggestions are hereby put forward.

 

　　2.1 Establish recycling channels based on manufacturers and sellers

 

Further implement the relevant provisions of the "Solid Law" and the "Regulations", formulate and issue a "compulsory recycling catalog" as soon as possible, include electrical and electronic products in the "compulsory recycling catalog", and select areas with mature conditions to carry out pilot projects, with larger scale and more outlets Relying on the manufacturers and distributors, establish a recycling network for waste electrical and electronic products, and gradually solve the problem of irregular recycling channels and standard processing of enterprises’ food shortages.

 

　　2.2 Incorporating eco-design concepts into environmental labeling product certification

 

　　 The development of product eco-design is an inevitable requirement after the implementation of the EPR policy. It has been widely accepted in developed countries, especially European countries, and has encouraged and promoted the implementation of eco-design concepts through the Eco-Management System Certification System (EMAS). my country's environmental labeling product certification has been carried out for more than ten years, and a number of technical standards for environmental labeling products have been promulgated, including preliminary requirements for product design. It is recommended that on the existing basis, promote the development of basic research on the ecological design of electrical and electronic products, actively learn from the European EMAS certification system, and incorporate the research results into the relevant standards and specifications of environmental labeling products to deepen and improve the technical requirements for product design.

 

　　2.3 Promote "green treatment" of waste electrical and electronic products

 

It is recommended to learn from the successful experience of government green procurement, take the lead in implementing the "green treatment" of waste electrical and electronic products in state-owned units, and require suppliers of products that provide green purchases to recycle the scrap electrical and electronic products of the above-mentioned units and submit them to qualified formal dismantling Corporate processing. The requirement of "green processing" has been added to the relevant regulations of government green procurement, and it is assessed as an important part of fixed asset management.

 

　　2.4 Increase the supervision of the transboundary movement of e-waste

 

　　 According to relevant laws and regulations, my country prohibits the import of waste electrical and electronic products, but there are no clear restrictions on the import of second-hand electronic products. It is recommended to refer to the "Draft Technical Guidelines on Transboundary Movement of E-waste (especially on How to Distinguish Waste and Non-waste)" under the framework of the Basel Convention, and promptly issue relevant technical guidelines to guide the identification of second-hand electronic products and e-waste; at the same time, strengthen The information sharing mechanism established with customs, quality inspection and other departments will further strengthen joint law enforcement, deepen international cooperation, especially cooperation between China and the United States, China Europe, China, Japan and South Korea, and the Inner Hong Kong, and promote the signing of bilateral or multilateral agreements to jointly combat electronics Illegal transboundary movement of waste.

 

　　2.5 Strengthen law popularization and publicity work

 

It is recommended to publicize and popularize the basic knowledge, laws and regulations related to waste electrical and electronic products through multiple channels, to help the public to correctly understand the resources, hazards and related management requirements of waste electrical and electronic products, and to guide the public to gradually hand over waste electrical and electronic products Regular recyclers or processing units promote the harmless treatment of waste electrical and electronic products.

 

　　 3. Research summary

 

　　 The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system is an important environmental policy and an important means to effectively manage waste electrical and electronic products. The system extends the responsibility of producers to the entire life cycle of their products, especially the responsibility for recycling and disposal of discarded products after consumption, thereby reducing the impact of discarded products on the environment.

 

Analyzed the implementation status of EPR in three different types of economies, and put forward relevant suggestions for my country's implementation of the extended producer responsibility system for e-waste management: First, establish recycling channels based on manufacturers and sellers; second, Integrate the concept of ecological design into the certification of environmental labeling products; third, promote the "green treatment" of waste electrical and electronic products; fourth, increase the supervision of the transboundary movement of e-waste; fifth, strengthen law dissemination and publicity.