Dozens of workshops illegally dismantling and reprocessing electronic products have been discovered by the authorities in Guangdong Province and Guangzhou's Haizhu District. 

The e-waste seized, which is said to be harmful to health, were mainly components like hard discs, CD-Roms and the main circuit boards from the machines. Five trucks which can each carry eight tons apiece were used take the waste away. 

Cao Jianxin, editor of an IT portal in Guangzhou, said the huge market for second-hand IT products and opportunities to make large profits were key reasons for such widespread illegal e-waste businesses. 

Several second-hand IT markets in Pearl River Delta cities were selling "new" computers made from old parts and their businesses had been booming, said Cao.

"About 800 yuan (US$100) for a laptop, 600 yuan (US$75) for a desktop, 1,000 yuan (US$125) for a Xerox machine….isn't that tempting?" Cao observed.

A second-hand IT market in the city of Dongguan even wholesales the e-waste and wholesalers there offer a one-year quality warranty, according to the editor.

Zhong Zhenqi, an official with the Guangdong Provincial Environmental Protection Administration, said a single computer contains over 700 raw chemical materials and more than half of those were harmful to the health of people.

"Burning computer peripherals will cause toxic air and air pollution and the chemicals are harmful to water, plants, microbes, and humans too," Zhong said.
 
According to Zhong, as the provincial environmental protection administration has been gearing up efforts to improve the environment in the province, it'll focus more on pollution caused by e-waste dismantling and reprocessing.

The state has clear regulations banning the import of e-waste and strict regulations on the management of it, added Zhong.

Lin Yang is deputy director of the Guangdong Provincial Industrial and Commercial Administration's economic supervision team which led the clampdown. He said it marked one of the biggest cases in the province in the last few years.

He said, "E-waste is illegally smuggled into the province. We welcome tips and will reward those who report information to us."

Nanhai District in the city of Foshan in Guangdong was a gathering point for e-waste but all warehouses for such imports were closed down a couple of years ago because of concerns about environmental pollution and the State's policy of banning such imports.

Lin said they would closely watch second-hand IT markets across the province as many workshops were assembling e-waste into computers bound for Guangdong and elsewhere in the country.

He said the provincial industrial and commercial administration would join forces with the province's customs office, the police and the environment watchdog to launch further campaigns against those involved. 

(China Daily September 26, 2006)