Recycling in China and Australia - Essay Example

Chinaview.cn reports that the Chinese government passed legislation that intended to scrap progressive pricing of water since the consumption level of each household was unknown.  Chinese law also proposed to boost sustainable development through energy-saving and reducing the discharge of waste products (Chinaview.cn). Similar legislations apply to the Australian laws that help the country to manage environmental pollution. According to Recycling International, the government of China formulated a law to govern the recycling of e-waste. Australia does not only have laws governing the recycling of e-waste but also regulates the amount of e-waste exported to China. The law commands license and taxes to the individual manufactures of the electrical appliances. This move was to address the problem of increased destruction of electrical appliances by specific companies and individuals. The Chinese government established laws that regulate the pricing of water to consumers to avoid undue exploitation of consumers. In addition, China formulated laws that enable the government to regulate the use of energy and pollutant emissions.

China legislations on recycling encourage innovation in recycling technology through fund allocations to such projects. In addition, Chinese legislation on recycling provides tax relief to enterprises that use energy-conserving technologies in their recycling processes. The Australian government passed legislation that worked to regulate the exportation and importation of hazardous wastes as well as to ensure safe disposal for the protection of human life. The Australian law also advocated for the issuance of certificates to individuals who intend to import or export hazardous wastes. The Australian law however does not regulate the movements of hazardous wastes within the country. Much of the recycling laws within the Australian economy take the shape of the Basel convection, which is the International convection on recycling of wastes.

E-waste has become a major recyclable item in the world. Both China and Australia have ventured into massive recycling of electrical appliances such as old televisions, mobile phones, and computers (Cubby). In both China and Australia, the business involved in the recycling of e-waste has led to massive destruction and theft of electrical appliances for extraction of particular components for sale to respective electrical manufacturers. In the reports of Cubby, the recycling of e-waste has led to a tremendous increase in child labor in Australia. Cubby reports that Australia recycles about 4% of its e-wastes as some are disposed of in landfills while China recycles all of its e-wastes. In addition, China imports the bulk of its e-wastes from Australia and USA, which are recycled into valuable items. In Australia, manufacturing industries like the mobile phone industry carry their collection of batteries and phone accessories while Chinese recycling firms depend on supplies from the collectors of the wastes (Bentley, 33).

According to Dolnicar (2), water recycling in Australia involves massive use of energy. Most of the recycled water in Australia undergoes desalination to remove salt contents in the water. Similarly, most of the water recycled in China involves desalination especially of seawater (Dasgupta). In both China and Australia, the uses of recycled water involve washing of laundry, factories, kitchen, and irrigation of plants among other home uses. In the views of Dolnicar (2), most of the recycled water in Australia contains chemicals that pose risk to health when they accumulate in the human body. Recycling of water through the process of desalination in Australia leads to air pollution through the emission of greenhouse gases. In addition, both countries have made steps to ensure that consumers obtain water at lower costs. The governments of both China and Australia emphasize on reuse of water in either cleaning or irrigation. Furthermore, China and Australia have enhanced collection systems for rainwater, which later are recycled for human consumption. Australia applies commercial use of recycled water in horticultural farms.

In conclusion, both China and Australia pose almost similar legislation governing the recycling process of waste in particular countries. The notable legislative differences between the countries majorly lie in the import and export acts of the countries. This is evident in that the Chinese government does not tolerate the export of wastes from its economy. Instead, the Chinese recycling industry boosts its raw material by importing more wastes from other countries. On the contrary, the Australian government besides enforcing laws that regulate the export of hazardous wastes tolerates the export of e-waste to China. Australia used to be China’s largest supplier of e-wastes. It is also imperative to note the extensive similarities between the countries concerning water recycling. The methods of recycling water in both countries are almost the same. Both countries obtain fresh water from the recycling and desalination of seawater. Governments of both countries express much focus on slashing the prices of water supply to their citizens.