Informal e-waste recycling processes
Currently the majority of e-waste in China is processed in
backyards or small workshops using primary methods such as
manual disassembly and open burning. The appliances are
stripped of their most valuable and easily extracted components/
materials such as printed wiring boards (PWB), cathode
ray tubes (CRTs), cables, plastics, metals, condensers and
the worthless materials such as batteries, liquid crystal displays
(LCDs) or wood. These fractions are processed to directly
reusable components and secondary raw materials in a variety
of refining and conditioning processes. The remaining parts
are dumped or stockpiled directly. The most prominent regions
Table 2: Average life time of main home appliances in China.
Products TV Set Refrigerator Washing machine Air conditioner Personal computer
Life time (years) 8 9 9 10 5 in 1993 & 3.5 in 2003
Fig. 3: