Perspectives on reuse of WEEE in China: Lessons from the EU

• Published in: Resources, conservation and recycling conservation and recycling, 2018-08, Vol.135, p.83-92
• Main Authors: Lu, Bin, Yang, Jianxin, Ijomah, Winifred, Wu, Wenjie, Zlamparet, Gabriel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Reuse; Stakeholder analysis; Sustainable management; Waste electrical and electronic equipment
• ISSN: 0921-3449; 1879-0658
• DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.07.012

•The policies and practices in reuse of WEEE in China were compared with those of the EU.•The knowledge gaps and potential scientific solutions for reuse of WEEE are also discussed.•The reuse policies in China need to be made more systematic like those of the EU countries.•The reuse policies in China can begin with promotion of components reuse management.•The reuse and related concepts are defined clearly based on literatures. Reuse is always considered superior to materials and energy recovery in the waste hierarchy, a concept that also applies to Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). In practice, however, reuse has not been a commonly used end-of-life option. We compared policies and practices of reuse of WEEE in China and in the EU. This comparison can help identify knowledge gaps and reuse policy requirements, as well as implementation methods We also discuss potential scientific solutions for reuse of WEEE via analysis of stakeholders’ concerns. We found that although there are already reuse-related guidelines and standards in China, the policies need to be made more systematic like those of the EU, and they need to be more suitable for the specific challenges of China. We propose$ policy recommendations for reuse in order to facilitate sustainable management of WEEE, including integration of a reuse strategy into current management policy as well as the promotion of components reuse. Further, we also found that more studies on drivers and barriers to reuse are required to support more effective and efficient management.