--- title: "China E-Waste Recovery and Treatment Guide" canonical_url: "https://www.sorena.io/artifacts/apac/china-e-waste-law" source_url: "https://www.sorena.io/artifacts/apac/china-e-waste-law" author: "Sorena AI" description: "Decide whether China waste electrical and electronic product recovery or disposal rules apply, verify qualified downstream treatment, and keep recycler, disposal, and lifecycle records." published_at: "2026-07-05" updated_at: "2026-07-16" keywords: - "China e-waste" - "WEEE" - "Waste electrical and electronic products" - "Product compliance" --- **[SORENA](https://www.sorena.io/)** - AI-Powered GRC Platform [Home](https://www.sorena.io/) | [Solutions](https://www.sorena.io/solutions) | [Artifacts](https://www.sorena.io/artifacts) | [About Us](https://www.sorena.io/about-us) | [Contact](https://www.sorena.io/contact) | [Portal](https://app.sorena.io) --- # China E-Waste Recovery and Treatment Guide Decide whether China waste electrical and electronic product recovery or disposal rules apply, verify qualified downstream treatment, and keep recycler, disposal, and lifecycle records. ![China E-Waste Law artifact preview](https://cdn.sorena.io/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto/cheatsheets/prod/sorena-ai-china-e-waste-law-timeline-small.jpg?v=cheatsheets%2Fprod) *Product* *China* ## China E-Waste Law Compliance Guide The State Council's Regulation on Recovery and Disposal of Waste Electrical and Electronic Products applies to recovery, treatment, and related activities for discarded products listed in the Waste Electrical and Electronic Product Treatment Catalogue. The current published catalogue is the 2014 edition, effective since 1 March 2016. It lists 14 categories, with boundaries such as refrigerator volume <=800 litres, room-air-conditioner cooling output <=14,000 W, washing capacity <=10 kg, and printer or copier format smaller than A2 at <=80 pages per minute. Treatment includes dismantling, material or fuel extraction, hazard-reduction processes, and compliant final landfill placement; repair, refurbishment, and resale after repair or refurbishment are excluded. City-level ecology and environment authorities issue treatment qualifications, while commerce authorities manage recovery and other departments retain their assigned responsibilities. [Prepare the qualified disposal evidence file](/contact.md) ## What this hub helps you decide - **Classify the product and role**: Match the discarded model to the catalogue's full definition and limits, then classify the activity as collection, storage, transport, repair, refurbishment, second-hand resale, or treatment. Identify the producer, import consignee or agent, seller, repairer, collector, institutional holder, and treatment-enterprise roles actually performed. - **Use qualified disposal routes**: Except for the narrow provincially approved centralized-site route in Article 34, verify that the treatment enterprise's qualification certificate covers the legal person, actual facility, category, equipment, operating parameters, capacity, and validity period. A collection invoice or group-company certificate is not enough. - **Retain lifecycle evidence**: Keep the scope decision, actor matrix, dated certificate check, contract, shipment, receipt, destination, and change record. A treatment enterprise must report basic treatment data and retain both the basic data and its monitoring reports for at least three years; the broader chain-of-custody file is practical evidence, not a prescribed national form. By Sorena AI | Official citations | Role-specific records ### Quick scan *Product* - **Classify the product and role**: Match the model to the full catalogue entry, classify the actual end-of-life activity, and assign every producer, importer, seller, repairer, collector, institutional-holder, and treatment-enterprise role. - **Use qualified disposal routes**: Verify the actual treatment legal person, facility, category, equipment, operating parameters, capacity, and validity period. Route any mismatch for resolution before shipment or treatment. - **Retain lifecycle evidence**: Keep the scope and role decisions, certificate verification, handoff trail, and change review. Separate the operator's statutory three-year data and monitoring records from recommended customer evidence. Use the decision path below before selecting a collection route or treatment operator. The regulation and licensing measures have applied since 1 January 2011. The treatment fund stopped being collected on 1 January 2024, but the catalogue, actor, qualified-treatment, monitoring, reporting, and recordkeeping rules remain. HJ 527-2026 has governed treatment pollution control since 1 March 2026. The operator's own routine monitoring is separate from the authority's supervisory monitoring, which the licensing measures require at least once every six months. | Value | Metric | | --- | --- | | 1 Jan 2011 | e-waste regulation effective | | 1 Mar 2016 | current catalogue effective | | qualification permit | disposal operator route | | 3+ years | operator data and monitoring records | **Key highlights:** Classify the product and role | Use qualified disposal routes | Retain lifecycle evidence ## Primary sources - [Regulation on Recovery and Disposal of Waste Electrical and Electronic Products](https://www.mee.gov.cn/ywgz/fgbz/xzfg/201909/t20190918_734319.shtml?ref=sorena.io) - Binding State Council regulation for catalogue scope, the treatment definition, authority responsibilities, actor duties, qualified treatment, monitoring, recordkeeping, penalties, the 1 January 2011 effective date, and the 2019 revision. - [Qualification Licensing Measures for Waste Electrical and Electronic Product Disposal](https://www.mee.gov.cn/gzk/gz/202112/t20211210_963734.shtml?ref=sorena.io) - Use for waste electrical/electronic product disposal qualification permit conditions, the five-year regional-plan cycle, application process, operator and supervisory monitoring, supervision, penalties, and the 1 January 2011 effective date. - [Waste Electrical and Electronic Product Treatment Catalogue (2014 Edition)](https://www.ndrc.gov.cn/xxgk/zcfb/gg/201502/W020190905485475610247.pdf?ref=sorena.io) - Defines the 14 covered product categories and the technical limits used to decide whether a discarded product falls within catalogue scope. - [Announcement publishing the Waste Electrical and Electronic Product Treatment Catalogue (2014 Edition)](https://fgk.chinatax.gov.cn/zcfgk/c100013/c5207617/content.html?ref=sorena.io) - Confirms that the 2014 catalogue edition took effect on 1 March 2016 and replaced the first-batch catalogue. - [Announcement on cessation of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Product Treatment Fund](https://szs.mof.gov.cn/zt/mlqd_8464/zcgd/202401/t20240118_3926323.htm?ref=sorena.io) - Confirms that fund collection stopped on 1 January 2024 and that products treated from that date no longer receive support under the former fund-subsidy policy. - [HJ 527-2026 Technical specification for pollution control of waste electrical and electronic equipment treatment](https://www.mee.gov.cn/ywgz/fgbz/bz/bzwb/gthw/gtfwwrkzbz/202602/t20260204_1143642.shtml?ref=sorena.io) - Current treatment pollution-control and environmental-management standard, effective from 1 March 2026 in place of HJ 527-2010. *Recommended decision path* ## Move from catalogue scope to controlled treatment First match the discarded product to the catalogue and classify the activity. Then identify each actor, route covered treatment to a qualified enterprise, and keep the evidence required for that role. ### 1. Start here: scope and roles Confirm catalogue coverage, distinguish treatment from repair or refurbishment, and allocate producer, import consignee or agent, seller, collector, and treatment-enterprise responsibilities. Producer and importer fund payments are historical for periods before 1 January 2024. 1. [Covered products and e-waste recovery scope](/artifacts/apac/china-e-waste-law/covered-products-and-recovery-scope.md): How to document product family scope for China waste electrical and electronic product recovery and disposal without guessing catalogue coverage. 2. [Producer and disposal operator duties](/artifacts/apac/china-e-waste-law/producer-and-disposal-operator-duties.md): How producers, sellers, recyclers, and disposal operators should separate e-waste responsibilities and records. 3. [China e-waste recovery and disposal requirements](/artifacts/apac/china-e-waste-law/requirements.md): China e-waste requirements for product lifecycle roles, qualified treatment, downstream evidence, and operator records. ### 2. Qualification and evidence Determine whether a treatment qualification is required, verify its permitted categories and facilities, and contract for traceable handoff and treatment records. Route a changed legal-person name, legal representative, or registered address to amendment within 15 working days; added categories, new or altered facilities, and operation more than 20% above certified capacity require reapplication. 4. [China e-waste treatment qualification workflow](/artifacts/apac/china-e-waste-law/disposal-qualification-license-workflow.md): Decide whether a China e-waste treatment qualification is required, apply through the correct authority, and control certificate changes. 5. [E-waste disposal operator qualification checklist](/artifacts/apac/china-e-waste-law/e-waste-disposal-operator-qualification-checklist.md): Verify China e-waste catalogue scope, treatment activity, facility-specific qualification, capacity, monitoring, downstream handoffs, and change triggers. 6. [E-waste recycler contract and records template](/artifacts/apac/china-e-waste-law/e-waste-recycler-contract-and-records-template.md): Contract schedule and records register for checking China e-waste treatment qualifications, handoffs, treatment data, and changes. 7. [China e-waste compliance checklist](/artifacts/apac/china-e-waste-law/checklist.md): Checklist for covered product scope, qualified disposal partner review, disposal records, and downstream evidence. ### 3. Dates, monitoring, and enforcement Separate historical dates from recurring controls. Unqualified treatment can lead to shutdown or closure, confiscation of illegal proceeds, and a CNY 50,000-500,000 fine; data-system, reporting, retention, or routine-monitoring failures can lead to correction orders and fines up to CNY 50,000. 8. [China e-waste deadlines and compliance calendar](/artifacts/apac/china-e-waste-law/deadlines-and-compliance-calendar.md): China e-waste treatment permit deadlines, change triggers, monitoring dates, record-retention periods, and historical milestones. 9. [China e-waste penalties and enforcement exposure](/artifacts/apac/china-e-waste-law/penalties-and-fines.md): China e-waste fines and permit consequences by actor, violation, enforcement authority, and required correction. ### 4. Focused questions Use direct answers for permit, recordkeeping, and China RoHS boundary questions. 10. [China E-Waste Law FAQ](/artifacts/apac/china-e-waste-law/faq.md): China e-waste FAQ covering treatment-catalogue scope, actor duties, qualified treatment, operator records, and the boundary with China RoHS. ### 5. More guides Additional guidance related to this artifact. 11. [How is China e-waste different from China RoHS?](/artifacts/apac/china-e-waste-law/faq/how-is-china-e-waste-different-from-china-rohs.md): China e-waste rules govern catalogued products at end of life. China RoHS governs hazardous-substance controls, marking, disclosure, and catalogue-based conformity assessment. 12. [What records should a producer keep for e-waste recovery and disposal?](/artifacts/apac/china-e-waste-law/faq/what-records-should-a-producer-keep-for-e-waste-recovery-and-disposal.md): Separate the producer's own China e-waste evidence from records that the qualified treatment enterprise must keep for at least three years. 13. [When does a disposal operator need a waste electrical product qualification permit?](/artifacts/apac/china-e-waste-law/faq/when-does-a-disposal-operator-need-a-waste-electrical-product-qualification-permit.md): An enterprise needs a treatment qualification before treating products in China's e-waste Treatment Catalogue, subject to the Regulation's narrow centralized-site provision. ## Key dates for China E-Waste Law *China Timeline* Distinguish the regulation's 1 January 2011 commencement, its 2 March 2019 revision, the catalogue's 1 March 2016 effective date, the 1 January 2024 stop to treatment-fund collection, and the 1 March 2026 effective date of HJ 527-2026 from recurring duties. Permit applications include a notice within three working days after acceptance, at least ten working days for public comment, and a decision within 60 days after acceptance. Regional treatment development plans are revised every five years; a plan revision triggers review and certificate replacement for operators that intend to continue. Certificate changes and closure have separate triggers. *Next step* ## Prepare the qualified disposal evidence file Map China's catalogue test, actor roles, qualification check, handoff trail, and treatment-enterprise records to their sources and owners. - Start with the official treatment-catalogue trigger, the discarded product, the physical activity, and the China entity or contractor performing each lifecycle role. - Keep each catalogue, role, certificate, and disposal-route decision with its official source, owner, and evidence. - Preserve the product facts, certificate copy, shipment trail, treatment records, and review history when a product, operator, facility, category, or capacity changes. - [Open Research Copilot](/solutions/research-copilot.md): Map product scope, recycler/disposal operator qualification, downstream contracts, disposal records, and lifecycle evidence to official citations, owners, and review checkpoints. - [Open SSOT](/solutions/ssot.md): Keep official citations, decisions, approvals, and evidence records connected to governed product and compliance files. - [Review unresolved triggers](/contact.md): Check edge cases before launch, filing, transfer, import, sale, or disposal. ## Compliance Timeline | Date | Event | Category | Reference | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2009-02-25 | E-waste recovery and disposal regulation promulgated | Regulation | [Source](https://www.mee.gov.cn/ywgz/fgbz/xzfg/201909/t20190918_734319.shtml?ref=sorena.io) | | 2010-12-15 | Disposal qualification licensing measures promulgated | Licensing | [Source](https://www.mee.gov.cn/gzk/gz/202112/t20211210_963734.shtml?ref=sorena.io) | | 2011-01-01 | E-waste recovery and disposal regulation takes effect | Regulation | [Source](https://www.mee.gov.cn/ywgz/fgbz/xzfg/201909/t20190918_734319.shtml?ref=sorena.io) | | 2011-01-01 | Disposal qualification licensing measures take effect | Licensing | [Source](https://www.mee.gov.cn/gzk/gz/202112/t20211210_963734.shtml?ref=sorena.io) | | 2011-03-02 | Legacy treatment-operator application window ended | Licensing | [Source](https://www.mee.gov.cn/gzk/gz/202112/t20211210_963734.shtml?ref=sorena.io) | | 2019-03-02 | E-waste regulation revised | Revision | [Source](https://www.mee.gov.cn/ywgz/fgbz/xzfg/201909/t20190918_734319.shtml?ref=sorena.io) | **Event details:** - **2009-02-25 - E-waste recovery and disposal regulation promulgated**: The Regulation on Recovery and Disposal of Waste Electrical and Electronic Products was originally promulgated on 25 February 2009. - **2010-12-15 - Disposal qualification licensing measures promulgated**: The qualification licensing measures for waste electrical and electronic product disposal were promulgated on 15 December 2010. - **2011-01-01 - E-waste recovery and disposal regulation takes effect**: The Regulation on Recovery and Disposal of Waste Electrical and Electronic Products took effect on 1 January 2011. - **2011-01-01 - Disposal qualification licensing measures take effect**: The qualification licensing measures for waste electrical and electronic product disposal also took effect on 1 January 2011. - **2011-03-02 - Legacy treatment-operator application window ended**: Enterprises already performing treatment when the licensing measures took effect had 60 days from 1 January 2011 to submit a qualification application; otherwise they could not continue treatment. - **2019-03-02 - E-waste regulation revised**: The e-waste regulation was revised on 2 March 2019. --- [Privacy Policy](https://www.sorena.io/privacy.md) | [Terms of Use](https://www.sorena.io/terms-of-use.md) | [DMCA](https://www.sorena.io/dmca.md) | [About Us](https://www.sorena.io/about-us.md) (c) 2026 Sorena AB (559573-7338). 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