The Enlightenment of the Distribution of Subject Responsibility in Japan's Household Appliance Recycling Law to China

Waste home appliances have become new urban polluters because of the replacement of home appliances; however, they are also recyclable resources. To regulate the recycling of home appliances, the Japanese government has issued the ‘Household Appliances Recycling Law’, which clearly defines the responsibilities of manufacturers, retailers, consumers, governments and other entities involved in the recycling process of waste household appliances. This article analyzes the distribution of subject responsibility and legal effectiveness in the law, as well as the current legislative status of China's home appliance recycling industry and proposes several inspirations for China's home appliance recycling industry: enact special legislation, extended producer responsibility, the tripartite burden of recovery costs, and improve recycling channels.