Risk management of e-waste disposal in China: A life cycle perspective

Abstract

In the wave of global e-waste migration, the problem of e-waste management in developing countries and underdeveloped areas has become the focus of academic attention. In the developing countries represented by China, there are still a large number of electronic waste flowing into the extensive manual dismantling workshops. These informal recycling and disposal have a huge adverse impact on the environment of the surrounding areas, and there are huge health and ecological risks. How to effectively deal with the risks generated in the process of e-waste disposal is of great significance to global e-waste management. At present, risk assessment and management have not been included in China's existing e-waste management system. This article analyzes the health, ecological, and regional risks of e-waste in the four links of recycling, dismantling, resource utilization, and final disposal. At the same time, a list of e-waste risk assessment processes is formulated, and a risk management framework for e-waste in China is proposed. It enriches the theoretical and empirical research on e-waste management and provides Chinese practices for the future construction of an industrial 4.0 sustainable ecosystem.