Management policies and component analysis for the recycling of waste small home appliances in China

The rapid expansion of the global consumer electronics market, coupled with shorter product replacement cycles, has rendered the recycling management and resource utilization of waste small home appliances (WSHA) a pressing issue for environmental governance and the circular economy. This study employs a comparative policy analysis to systematically examine the policy evolution, institutional design, and implementation mechanisms for WSHA recycling management in the EU, Japan, the USA, and China. The analysis focuses on legal responsibility arrangements, funding mechanisms, recycling system structures, and policy coverage. Furthermore, two representative small appliances—coffee makers and induction cookers—were selected for market analysis, manual disassembly, and component characterization to assess their material composition and resource recovery potential. The results indicate that the EU and Japan have established efficient recycling systems based on extended producer responsibility (EPR) and multi-stakeholder collaboration. In contrast, China faces challenges, including policy implementation gaps, inadequate regulatory coordination, and low recycling rates. Based on these findings, the study proposes targeted recommendations for enhancing institutional frameworks, technical standards, and public participation, offering insights for improving China's WSHA recycling management system.