This is the English edition. The article body below is the publisher's English rendering of the original Chinese article; figures, license numbers and institutional names follow the original.

According to data disclosed by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment at its February 2026 press conference, taking waste televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, and computers (the "four machines, one brain") as an example, the national annual compliant dismantling volume rose from just over 10 million units (sets) in 2012 to about 100 million units (sets) in 2025. Over the past decade and more, more than 1 billion units (sets) of "four machines, one brain" have been processed through compliant channels nationwide, with about 22 million tons of dismantled outputs put to resource recovery and compliant disposal.

What These Numbers Show

  • The compliant channel has reached real scale. Annual compliant dismantling grew roughly tenfold in a decade, showing that the processing fund and special fund regimes have been effective in steering waste appliances into formal channels.
  • Growth potential lies in categories, not total volume. The "four machines, one brain" catalog is relatively mature, while recycling of newer categories such as servers, smart consumer devices, and medical service equipment has only just entered the standardization stage — HJ 527—2026 was issued precisely to fill the standards gap for these categories.
  • Where dismantled outputs go is the next regulatory focus. The utilization and disposal of 22 million tons of dismantled outputs will become a key direction for enforcement checks.

A Note for Business Customers

Among the IT assets companies retire, "computers" have long been in the catalog, and retired servers have been formally brought under control from March 2026. When choosing a processor, verify the category and validity of its WEEE Processing License rather than looking only at the price.

How to Read These Figures

When citing this data, three scopes need to be kept distinct:

  • "1 billion units (sets)" is cumulative compliant dismantling volume, meaning the quantity that entered licensed dismantling enterprises and was included in official statistics; it does not equal the total amount of appliances scrapped by society over the same period. Volumes that never entered formal channels are not included.
  • "22 million tons" is cumulative dismantled output, the combined weight of metals, plastics, glass, and other outputs generated after dismantling — a different scope from the original equipment weight.
  • "Four machines, one brain" is a category shorthand covering five types: televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, and microcomputers. It excludes servers, mobile phones, and other categories brought under control later.

Confusing these three scopes is a common error in industry reporting. When companies cite the data in ESG reports or external materials, it is advisable to state the statistical period and data source together, to avoid writing "compliant dismantling volume" as "scrapping volume."

Why the Conversion from Units to Tons Matters

Industry statistics are usually counted in units, while disposal contracts, transport arrangements, and resource recovery pricing are settled in tons. The conversion between the two depends on equipment type and configuration, and this is the step most often underestimated when principals budget for asset disposal.

  • Whole-unit weights vary widely — devices all called "computers" differ markedly in weight and material composition between desktop towers, laptops, and all-in-ones.
  • Value concentrates in a few components — precious metals sit mainly in circuit boards and connector parts, while housings and structural parts are mostly plastic and steel.
  • Pricing follows recoverable materials — residual value assessment is based on the types and content of recoverable materials after dismantling, not on unit counts.

Practical experience: the more detailed the asset list (model, configuration, quantity, purchase year), the smaller the deviation in tonnage conversion and residual value quotes. A list that says only "a number of computers" will get nothing but a wide-range estimate from any disposal provider.

Source

Xinhua News Agency, "Ministry of Ecology and Environment Issues New Rules to Control Pollution from Waste Appliance Recycling" (reporter Gao Jing): reposted on the MOJ Legal Publicity website.