Core Viewpoint - The Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China has released the "Pollution Control Technical Specifications for the Treatment of Waste Electrical and Electronic Products" (HJ 527—2026), effective from March 1, 2023, to regulate the recycling and disposal of waste electrical and electronic products and to mitigate environmental pollution [1][2]. Group 1 - China is the largest manufacturer and consumer of electrical and electronic products globally, leading to a continuous increase in the generation and variety of waste electrical products [2]. - Over the past decade, more than 1 billion units of key waste electrical products, including televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, and computers, have been processed, resulting in approximately 22 million tons of recycled and properly disposed materials [2]. - The new technical specifications expand the categories of waste electrical products to include newer devices such as self-service machines, retail self-checkout machines, smart drones, wearable smart devices, and smart vehicle equipment [2]. Group 2 - The specifications detail pollution control requirements for the storage process, specifying protective measures for different categories of waste electrical products and their dismantled materials [2]. - The dismantling process is also addressed with differentiated technical requirements for various categories of waste electrical products, emphasizing the prevention of harmful substance emissions [2]. - The Ministry will guide local authorities and enterprises in implementing the new requirements and will continue to combat illegal dismantling and disposal practices as part of a broader initiative against illegal solid waste disposal [3].

Core Viewpoint - The Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China has announced the implementation of the "Technical Specification for Pollution Control in the Treatment of Waste Electrical and Electronic Products" (HJ527-2026) starting March 1, 2024, to regulate the recycling and disposal of waste electrical and electronic products and to mitigate environmental pollution [1][2]. Group 1 - China is the largest manufacturer and consumer of electrical and electronic products globally, leading to a continuous increase in the generation and variety of waste electrical products [1]. - The annual standardized dismantling volume of waste electrical products, specifically "four machines and one brain" (televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, and computers), is projected to rise from over 10 million units in 2012 to approximately 100 million units by 2025 [1]. - Over the past decade, more than 1 billion units of "four machines and one brain" have been standardized and processed, resulting in the recycling and proper disposal of around 22 million tons of dismantled products [1]. Group 2 - The new technical specifications expand the categories of waste electrical products to include servers, service terminals, smart consumer devices, and medical service equipment (excluding implanted, infectious, and radioactive devices) [2]. - The specifications detail pollution control requirements during storage, including the need for differentiated storage and protective measures for various categories of waste electrical products and their dismantled materials [2]. - The Ministry will guide local authorities and enterprises in understanding and implementing the new requirements, emphasizing the enforcement of responsibilities and the crackdown on illegal dismantling and disposal practices [2].