The groundbreaking "Waste Home Appliance and Electronic Products Recycling and Management Rule", the first of its kind in China, which has been drafted by the National Development and Reform Commission, is now in the final stage of review and is expected to be formally implemented from the beginning of 2007.

The Rule, according to its collection draft, states that home appliance dealers and after-sales service providers are both obligated to accept and dispose of used and waste home appliances, and they will be fined up to RMB100,000 if they refuse to do so. The release of the Rule is expected to mark an end to the unorderly situation in the e-waste recycling market in China.

Electronics retailer Suning and Zhejiang-based manufacturer Huaxing have signed a strategic framework agreement to work on e-waste recycling. According to their agreement, from January 2007, Beijing Suning will send all the waste and used home appliances it collects from consumers through its "Changing the Old for New" policy to Huaxing for disposal.

Authorities hope that more home appliance manufacturers and electronic retailers will forge this kind of cooperation to make contributions to the e-waste recycle system.