China E-waste Draft National Standards

The China Electronic Standards Association (CESA), distributed seven draft national standards the handling of e-waste. These cover the dismantling of obsolete equipment, general requirements for premises, equipment procedures, pollution control, health and safety, and documentation. These cover desktop computers, copiers, printers, laptops, plasma, LCD and CRT TVs and computer monitors. It is not clear why seven separate standards are needed, as most of the procedures will be common for all types of equipment. One standard could be issued with appendices, or supplements, for variations in equipment type. These standards are important for Australia, as much of the  e-waste collected through the Australian National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme, goes to China for recycling.

Here are the original Chinese texts of the proposed standards:

1. CRT TVs and Monitors: 20083080-T-339
2. LCD TVs: 20083081-T-339
3. Plasma TVs: 20083082-T-339
4. Notebook computers (laptops): 20083083-T-339
5. Printers: 20083084-T-339
6. Copiers: 20083085-T-339
7. Desktop computers (PCs): 20083086-T-339