IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 2347: Electronic Waste Governance under “One Country, Two Systems”: Hong Kong and Mainland China

IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 2347: Electronic Waste Governance under “One Country, Two Systems”: Hong Kong and Mainland China

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15112347

Authors: Natalie W. M. Wong

China is one of the largest e-waste dumping sites in the world, and Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous territory in China, is also affected by illegal e-waste disposal and transfer. While the Chinese government implemented a waste import ban in January 2018, Hong Kong has not enforced Chinese policies under the “One Country, Two Systems” framework. Drawing on a policy network approach, this paper provides an explanatory framework for e-waste governance in Hong Kong and China, and identifies the major obstacles to shaping effective transboundary e-waste control and prevention. The paper argues that institutional arrangements play a dominant role in governing e-waste policy networks at the local level of governance in Hong Kong and China; however, a lack of accountability and capacity at the transboundary level can explain the different waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) management strategies in these two places.

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