I have a pile of used electronic devices, tangled with USB lines, lying at home. I may carry on the Chinese tradition of thrift, but it is difficult for me to dispose of the obsolete e-gadgets in an environmental friendly manner.

China is arguably the world's second largest generator of e-waste. It generates 2.3 million tons of such waste every year. A United Nations Environment Programme report says computer waste in China will increase by 400 percent from 2007 to 2020. But perhaps more worrying than the mounting e-waste is the absence of effective recycling channels and a comprehensive e-waste management system in China.

Urban residents like me, including eco-conscious consumers, have very little information about environmentally friendly channels to dispose of electronic castoffs. Apart from the irregular drop-off or collection centers run by NGOs and environmental groups in a few urban areas, a large majority of urban residents have no option but to sell used or scrap electronics in second hand markets or to door-to-door vendors.