The Chinese government is to make producers, distributors and users of domestic appliances and electronic products responsible for the growing amount of high-tech junk.

A policy issued by the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) aims to curb pollution in the process of recycling mountains of discarded household appliances and electronics.

The previous system of disposing of electronic waste in scattered family workshops had posed a grave threat to China's fragile environment and human health, according to a statement from the SEPA.

The new policy of "polluter responsibility" encourages manufacturers to reduce the use of toxic materials, label their products with information on toxins, and prolong the operating life of components.

"It's also possible that consumers might be charged for electronic waste treatment," said a SEPA official, adding that specific rules would be drawn up to allot responsibilities to producers, retailers and users.

Since 2003, China has produced 1.1 million tons of electronic waste annually, including five million televisions, four million refrigerators, five million computers and more than 10 million mobile phones.

The statement also attributes the problem to illegal imports of discarded computers and other often toxic refuse from developed countries. These waste are usually dismantled with useful parts saved in underground factories.

The new policy comes after China's domestic appliance exports were affected by the European Union's ban in June on hazardous metals such as lead and mercury in electronic products.

The ban has driven domestic manufacturers to look for non-toxic replacements for their products, but lifted production costs by at least 20 percent.

Source: Xinhua