Study on the recycling and treatment of WEEE in China

Abstract

This paper investigates the regulations, recycling and treatment of WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) in China. An online survey about Chinese households’ treatment of WEEE is conducted. Optimization models are used to compare the performances of WEEE treatment in two different recycling networks. In the first network, WEEE is collected and sent by recycling stations to licensed WEEE recycling and treatment centers for testing and dismantling. In the second network, WEEE are tested and dismantled at small recycling workshops in residential districts, and then parts/components that require further processing are sent to licensed WEEE recycling and treatment centers. The performances of the two networks are analyzed with linear programming models. The results indicate that the second model is more effective with lower cost and higher recycling efficiency.