In a move that may or may not have wide-reaching effects on the electronics industry around the world, as well as China's environment and the Chinese people's health, at the annual National People's Congress in Beijing, Chinese Prime Minister Wu Jintao signed into law a rule on e-waste that's been compared to China's version of the European WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) law.

The new ordinance is a final version of a rule announced in August of last year, which covers electronics from televisions to refrigerators, as well as computers and electronics.

In an FAQ released in time with the announcement (Google translation here), the State Council Legislative Affairs Office explained that China in 2006 disposed of 80 million computers, 4.9 million televisions, 220 million refrigerators and untold millions of cell phones, copiers, printers and other small gadgets.

I say "may or may not" because at this point, there remain more questions than answers from the new ordinance. In addition to not knowing exactly who will be affected and how stringently the government will enforce the rules, it's not even entirely clear what will be covered under the law. In a short writeup on the law, Charlie McElwee at the China Environmental Law Blog explains some of the details:

1. The products to be covered by the regulation is not clearly defined, but will apparently be set forth in a Catalogue to be completed before the effective date of the regulation.

The regulation speaks primarily of “electronic products” and “electrical waste.” It also appears to cross-reference the China RoHS regulations, although it fails to formally identify those regulations. This would lead one to conclude that the new regulations only apply to those types of products which are characterized as “electronic information products” under the RoHS regulations. However, the FAQ issued with the regulation also mention washing machines, air conditioners, copiers, faxes, and printers. Thus, it may be necessary to seek more clarification on this coverage issue.

2. The regulations only appear to impose recycling obligations (at least in the form of paying into a National Electronics Discarded Electrical Products Treatment Fund) upon producers and importers of covered products. Sellers appear to be required to provide recycling drop off locations, but the additional extent of their obligations is unclear.

In addition to being the source of mountains of discarded electronics, we've reported regularly on the ways that exported e-waste from western countries is dangerously disposed of in China.