With the opening of the first professional e-waste recycling outlet in Shanghai, residents in the city's Changning District now have a more convenient channel to throw away unwanted home electronics.
At the e-waste recycle center Xin Jin Hua Old and Waste Electronic and Electrical Appliance Recall Center, public quotations are given on each kind of waste electrical appliances and prices are competitive to that offered by many grey market waste collectors. The center believes that with the increase of their outlets and the promotion of the online e-waste collection system, citizens will be more willing to dispose of their used home appliances through this network which is more environmentally-friendly.
Local media reports that there have been about a million old home appliances trashed annually in Shanghai in recent years. At present, about 80% of the used home appliances are being collected by many guerrilla trash collectors who lack of necessary recycling technology.
The Shanghai Municipal Development and Reform Commission says it will soon issue some stimulative measures for the e-waste industry. It is expected that as early as May, there will be a e-waste recall network covering all the nine key districts of Shanghai and a hotline for the citizens to book a collection service to come to their homes to pick up used goods.