Source: China Daily
04-23-2009 11:07
Special Report: Tech MaxBEIJING, April 22 -- The south China province of Guangdong must take effective measures to recycle massive amounts of e-waste generated in the region if it is serious about improving the environment, experts said yesterday.
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| The world generates about 40 million tons of PCs, cathode- ray tube (CRT) screens, fax machines, game consoles, mobile phones, and other e-waste every year.(File photo) |
"Even though Guangdong is one of the country's top bases for manufacturing home appliances and information technology (IT) products, it has a negligible number of modern enterprises recycling e-waste," Wang Gang, director of the provincial environmental protection industry association, said.
"The primitive way of treating e-waste, which seems rampant in many Chinese cities, will very likely challenge hopes to protect the environment," he said, adding it was imperative to adopt "more modern and effective measures" to deal with the problem.
The provincial government should offer financial support, including tax rebates and subsidies, to industries recycling e-waste to help them become more competitive, Wang said. "Guangdong needs to do all it can to help these industries play a far bigger role in environmental protection."
Citing official statistics, Wu Hongjie, a director with the provincial environmental protection bureau, said that the province discards about 12 million home appliances annually, topping any other province, city or region in the country.
