WEEE management in Europe and China - A comparison

Companies selling electrical and electronic products within the EU are obliged to organise collection and treatment. This has led to a larger number of producer responsibility organisations. Financed and controlled by producers and importers, these systems aim to fulfil legal requirements at optimised costs subject to compliance with environmental standards and monitoring requirements. The Chinese system is built on a state controlled fund which subsidies formal recyclers. For these recyclers this financial support is essential to compete with informal recyclers, who operate at lower costs and do not necessarily comply with environmental standards.