China and Japan joint venture in China to establish an electronic waste recycling plant

An electronic waste recycling business, jointly funded by Japan's Panasonic, Sumitomo, DOWA Group and China's Hangzhou Dadi Environmental Protection Co., Ltd., will be built in east China's Zhejiang Province, nearby authorities said Monday.

Located in Tonglu County under the jurisdiction of Hangzhou City, and built at a cost of 121.7 million yuan (18.8 million U.S. dollars), the Panasonic Dadi Dowa Summit Recycling Co., Ltd. will focus on the collection and recycling of discarded property appliances, including television sets, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners and computers.

The construction of the plant will begin in June, as well as the project is expected to be able to recycle 500,000 to 1 million discarded house appliances per year right after its completion in January 2012, stated Katsuyuki Mikawa with Panasonic, who will probably be the general manager of the new company.

Mikawa added that the Japanese businesses would bring advanced technology and managerial experience to the joint venture in order to provide an environmentally friendly and energy efficient project.

Both Panasonic and Dadi hold 35 percent of the shares of the firm, While DOWA and Sumitomo hold 18 percent and 12 percent of the shares of the firm, respectively.

E-waste refers to electronic merchandise nearing the end of their "useful life." Computers, televisions, VCRs, stereos, copiers and fax machines are typical electronic merchandise. Some E-waste contains toxic materials which can trigger severe environmental pollution if not effectively handled. At the same time, the e-waste can be turned into beneficial supplies after refurbishment and extraction.

Electronic waste is becoming an increasingly pressing difficulty in China with the surging of the sales of electronics. It can be estimated that the country is going to be producing far more than 6 million tonnes of electronic discards in 2020.

The central government has been encouraging recycling and centralized treatment of E-waste. A regulation issued by the State Council, China's Cabinet, has been in place because January 1 to make sure much better management of E-waste recycling.

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