IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v17y2020i8p2802-d347464.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Understanding Environmental Pollutions of Informal E-Waste Clustering in Global South via Multi-Scalar Regulatory Frameworks: A Case Study of Guiyu Town, China

Author

Listed:
  • Kun Wang

    (Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China)

  • Junxi Qian

    (Department of Geography, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China)

  • Lixiong Liu

    (School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China)

Abstract

The recycling of e-waste by the informal sector has brought countries in the Global South raw materials (e.g. metals and plastics), second-hand electronic equipment and components, and economic opportunities in conjunction with appalling environmental pollutions and health problems. Despite the longstanding international and national legislation regulating transnational trade and domestic recycling, informal e-waste economies are still clustering in many Global South countries. This study offers historically and geographically specific explanations of this conundrum, by interrogating the multi-scalar regulatory frameworks in which the informal e-waste economies and their pollutions are embedded, by drawing on China, particularly the former global e-waste hub-Guiyu town, as the case study. We argue that the contested and problematic application of current international and national legislation in regulating e-waste is in part pertaining to the slippery definition of what counts as “e-waste” and its paradoxical nature as both resources and pollutants. At the global scale, trajectories of global e-waste flows are shaped by the multitude of loopholes, contradictions and ambiguous articles left by the Basel Convention and by different countries’ disparate attitudes towards the e-waste trade. At the national scale, the ambiguities and contradictions in the Basel Convention have been passed on to and shaped China’s national e-waste regulatory frameworks. China’s equivocal legislation, paradoxical attitude, and formal enterprises’ weak competence contribute to the rise of informal e-waste recycling in Guiyu. Yet, China’s e-waste regime has been greatly restructured within the past decade, with formal recycling enterprises playing an increasingly significant role.

Suggested Citation

  • Kun Wang & Junxi Qian & Lixiong Liu, 2020. "Understanding Environmental Pollutions of Informal E-Waste Clustering in Global South via Multi-Scalar Regulatory Frameworks: A Case Study of Guiyu Town, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-18, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:8:p:2802-:d:347464
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/8/2802/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/8/2802/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Xiaojun Zhang & Likoebe M. Maruping, 2008. "Household technology adoption in a global marketplace: Incorporating the role of espoused cultural values," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 10(4), pages 403-413, September.
    2. Mentore Vaccari & Giovanni Vinti & Alessandra Cesaro & Vincenzo Belgiorno & Stefan Salhofer & Maria Isabel Dias & Aleksander Jandric, 2019. "WEEE Treatment in Developing Countries: Environmental Pollution and Health Consequences—An Overview," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-21, May.
    3. Yu, Jinglei & Williams, Eric & Ju, Meiting & Shao, Chaofeng, 2010. "Managing e-waste in China: Policies, pilot projects and alternative approaches," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 54(11), pages 991-999.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Giovanni Vinti & Mentore Vaccari, 2022. "Solid Waste Management in Rural Communities of Developing Countries: An Overview of Challenges and Opportunities," Clean Technol., MDPI, vol. 4(4), pages 1-14, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mallawarachchi, Harshani & Karunasena, Gayani, 2012. "Electronic and electrical waste management in Sri Lanka: Suggestions for national policy enhancements," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 44-53.
    2. Ardente, Fulvio & Mathieux, Fabrice & Recchioni, Marco, 2014. "Recycling of electronic displays: Analysis of pre-processing and potential ecodesign improvements," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 158-171.
    3. Ahmadi, Sadra & Shokouhyar, Sajjad & Amerioun, Motahare & Salehi Tabrizi, Neda, 2024. "A social media analytics-based approach to customer-centric reverse logistics management of electronic devices: A case study on notebooks," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    4. Dou, Yijie & Sarkis, Joseph, 2013. "A multiple stakeholder perspective on barriers to implementing China RoHS regulations," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 92-104.
    5. Gautam, Ayush & Shankar, Ravi & Vrat, Prem, 2022. "Managing end-of-life solar photovoltaic e-waste in India: A circular economy approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 287-300.
    6. Arnold Kamis & Tziporah Stern & Daniel M. Ladik, 2010. "A flow-based model of web site intentions when users customize products in business-to-consumer electronic commerce," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 12(2), pages 157-168, April.
    7. Mahfuz Ashraf & Jo Hanisch & Paul Swatman, 2009. "ICT intervention in the ‘Chandanbari’ Village of Bangladesh: Results from a field study," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 11(2), pages 155-166, April.
    8. Anastasiou Kartas & Sigi Goode, 2012. "Use, perceived deterrence and the role of software piracy in video game console adoption," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 14(2), pages 261-277, April.
    9. Dwivedy, Maheshwar & Suchde, Pratik & Mittal, R.K., 2015. "Modeling and assessment of e-waste take-back strategies in India," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 11-18.
    10. Ludwig Christian Schaupp & Lemuria Carter, 2010. "The impact of trust, risk and optimism bias on E-file adoption," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 12(3), pages 299-309, July.
    11. Junzhao Ma & Qingyi Huang, 2015. "Does better Internet access lead to more adoption? A new empirical study using household relocation," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 17(5), pages 1097-1110, October.
    12. I. Reay & P. Beatty & S. Dick & J. Miller, 2013. "Privacy policies and national culture on the internet," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 279-292, April.
    13. Frederico Cruz-Jesus & Tiago Oliveira & Fernando Bacao & Zahir Irani, 2017. "Assessing the pattern between economic and digital development of countries," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 835-854, August.
    14. Frederico Cruz-Jesus & Tiago Oliveira & Fernando Bacao & Zahir Irani, 0. "Assessing the pattern between economic and digital development of countries," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 0, pages 1-20.
    15. An, Da & Yang, Yu & Chai, Xilong & Xi, Beidou & Dong, Lichun & Ren, Jingzheng, 2015. "Mitigating pollution of hazardous materials from WEEE of China: Portfolio selection for a sustainable future based on multi-criteria decision making," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 105(PA), pages 198-210.
    16. Giovanni Vinti & Mentore Vaccari, 2022. "Solid Waste Management in Rural Communities of Developing Countries: An Overview of Challenges and Opportunities," Clean Technol., MDPI, vol. 4(4), pages 1-14, November.
    17. Venkatesh, Viswanath & Davis, Fred D. & Zhu, Yaping, 2022. "A cultural contingency model of knowledge sharing and job performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 202-219.
    18. Kilic, Huseyin Selcuk & Cebeci, Ufuk & Ayhan, Mustafa Batuhan, 2015. "Reverse logistics system design for the waste of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) in Turkey," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 120-132.
    19. Lynda Andeobu & Santoso Wibowo & Srimannarayana Grandhi, 2021. "A Systematic Review of E-Waste Generation and Environmental Management of Asia Pacific Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-18, August.
    20. Chulhwan Chris Bang, 2015. "Information systems frontiers: Keyword analysis and classification," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 217-237, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:8:p:2802-:d:347464. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.