Title: Electronic waste in China - Wikipedia
Headings: Electronic waste in China
Electronic waste in China
Contents
Process of electronic waste
Sources
Treatment
Informal sector
Environmental and health impacts
Affected regions
Guiyu
Taizhou
International agreements on electronic waste
Basel Convention
Domestic measures
National legislation
Provincial programmes
Corporate initiatives
Legislative inadequacies
See also
References

Content: The informal sector is constructed of a system of small-scaled, often family-run workshops and “backyard” recycling sectors. It is generally run by peddlers traveling door-to-door offering marginal fees for disposal of obsolescent appliances. These peddlers then resell these devices to e-waste dealers. The informal recycling method consists mainly of manual, unskilled labor and is inherently mobile. Informal recycling operations also commonly occur in suburban areas where they lack effective enforcement and control. A main concern around the informal sector is that most peddlers and dealers lack knowledge and access to adequate equipment and technologies for safe e-waste disposal. Studies measured higher potential health risks from heavy metals at informal e-waste recycling sites than in formal recycling sites, such as those operating in Jiangsu and Shanghai. Nonetheless, it is a very profitable market in China thanks to low wages, high demand for used electronics, used parts and materials. While there have been centralized efforts to mitigate these risks through formalizing the e-waste management sector, the informal sector still dominates the e-waste collection system. Environmental and health impacts
Most e-waste recycling sites in China lack the appropriate facilities to safeguard environmental and human health.