Starting from June 28th, the Civil Aviation Administration of China will fully implement the new regulations for power banks: all models and batches without 3C markings, unclear markings, or recalled will be prohibited from being carried on domestic flights. During investigations in major provinces such as Guangdong and Jiangsu where power banks are produced and sold, reporters found that in the past half month since the implementation of the new regulations, a large number of non compliant power banks have been intercepted by airports, causing public concerns about whether their flow and disposal are compliant. Where did these blocked power banks go? Are the existing products on the market safe and reliable? The reporter launched an investigation on this matter. The number of non compliant power banks seized at airports is gradually decreasing. Since the beginning of this year, multiple flights from Hangzhou to Hong Kong and Zhoushan to Jieyang have experienced incidents of passenger power banks catching fire and emitting smoke. The Civil Aviation Administration of China has tightened its control in accordance with the internationally recognized Technical Regulations for the Safety of Air Transport of Dangerous Goods. The new regulations hit the peak of summer transportation, and airports across the country have increased manpower and intensified training. Eastern Airport Group has produced verification labels for power banks and conducted preliminary checks at explosion-proof testing points and security waiting areas: green represents portable, red represents prohibited; Re check after entering the security checkpoint. The new regulations have been well publicized, and most passengers have self inspected in advance. Recently, the number of seizures has significantly decreased, "said the head of the group. Guangzhou Baiyun Airport also confirmed that in the first week of the implementation of the new regulations, the number of seizures decreased by nearly 60% compared to the first day. Recently, reporters saw at the T1 terminal of Baiyun Airport that there were only a few scattered discarded power banks from passengers in the recycling basket at the security checkpoint. Several passengers have stated that they have checked the relevant regulations through various channels before departure. How is the airport handling the passenger's abandoned power bank? The reporter interviewed multiple domestic airports, and Eastern Airport Group stated that the airport has signed agreements with qualified enterprises, stipulating that recycled power banks cannot enter the market; Shenzhen Bao'an Airport stated that passengers' discarded power banks will be handed over to qualified hazardous waste disposal centers for professional disposal to avoid safety risks caused by improper disposal; Guangzhou Baiyun Airport also stated that for passengers' discarded power banks, the airport will hand them over to a third-party professional company for recycling and disposal. The reporter called to inquire about the hazardous waste recycling service provider responsible for Shenzhen Bao'an Airport this year, and the other party stated that after the implementation of the new regulations, the business volume of recycling power banks has increased to a certain extent. After the company destroys the performance of the power bank, it will be handed over to downstream companies in the resource recycling chain for dismantling. The company has signed a prohibition agreement with the airport to prevent the return of used power banks to the market. Guo Qizhi, Secretary General of Guangzhou Material Recycling Association, introduced that recycled consumer grade power banks are generally scrapped as electronic waste and then dismantled for material recycling. The plastic shell, battery cell material, circuit board metal, and aluminum foil plastic of power banks can all be used as materials for recycling, with high recycling value. It is worth noting that after the implementation of the new civil aviation regulations, some second-hand platform merchants have been selling "airport power banks" under the banner of "airport power banks" at low prices ranging from 10 yuan to 30 yuan each. Some even have photos of power banks placed in security check baskets and declare that they "do not guarantee the brand or pass security checks". The reporter's investigation found that many of these so-called "airport outflow" power banks have transaction records from earlier years, and their credibility is questionable. Industry insiders say that such propaganda is likely to "ride on popularity", and fabricating the source of goods is suspected of being illegal, and its disclaimer does not have legal effect. A certain second-hand trading platform responded that it has strengthened the monitoring of keywords such as "airport power bank" and will delete them once discovered. According to the regulations of the State Administration for Market Regulation, starting from August 1, 2024, those who have not obtained the 3C certification certificate and marked the certification mark are not allowed to leave the factory, sell, import or use them in other business activities. The reporter's investigation found that the enforcement of this regulation by legitimate e-commerce platforms is generally good, but there are still a large number of non compliant power banks circulating in the second-hand trading market and individual stores. The reporter recently randomly purchased two power banks on an e-commerce platform, and the 3C certification can be found on the official website of the China Quality Certification Center; But when reporters visited physical stores, they still found that many power banks without 3C certification were on sale. The person in charge of a mobile phone supply store on Beijing Road in Guangzhou admitted that the price of power banks without 3C certification is relatively cheap. "Some people are still willing to buy them just for the sake of cost-effectiveness." With consumers recently replacing their power banks, the second-hand trading market is also very hot. The person in charge of a power bank sales store told reporters that currently there is no expiration date for power banks, and power banks that have been used for more than a year can still be sold for 30-40% of their price. Guo Qizhi stated that according to current laws, discarded power banks belong to solid waste electronic waste, and after sorting, they must be directed to downstream electronic waste treatment enterprises and resource recycling processing enterprises. However, in reality, there are still many discarded power banks that are picked up by "scavengers" and sold to illegal small workshops. Industry insiders admit that the current situation of power bank recycling can be described as "compliant recycling without profit, illegal recycling with huge profits". The battery recycling and disposal enterprises on the "white list" of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology often lack interest in recycling scattered discarded power banks, and the investment in recycling channel construction is insufficient, which increases the risk of discarded power banks entering the market again. The reporter contacted a recycling company in Nanjing on the grounds of dealing with discarded power banks, and they requested to see photos before quoting. After the reporter sent a screenshot of a pile of power banks, the other party stated that they could come to their doorstep for a price ranging from a few yuan to a dozen yuan to collect them. But when asked if the purchased used power banks were dismantled or resold, the other party did not respond. Power banks have many flammable components, and improper storage and transportation methods may lead to fire or explosion accidents. In addition, lithium batteries and circuit boards contain various heavy metals and toxic substances, and the dismantling process in small workshops is often not standardized, which can easily cause environmental pollution and affect residents' health. ”Wu Yifan, Chairman of Lightning (Guangdong) Environmental Recycling Technology Co., Ltd., said. The power bank industry chain needs to make up for its "shortcomings". Recently, multiple brands of power bank manufacturers have recalled multiple batches of products due to safety risks in their battery cells. The reporter learned that Anpuris (Wuxi) Co., Ltd., as one of the lithium battery suppliers of Romans Power Bank, currently has 74 3C certificates suspended or revoked by certification agencies. The Wuxi Market Supervision Bureau has sealed all lithium battery products produced by the enterprise in accordance with regulations. The implementation of new civil aviation regulations may have a certain impact on the power bank industry in the short term, but in the long run, it will help to force the overall industry chain to upgrade and improve, and is expected to fill the gaps in production, sales, recycling and other links. ”Wu Yifan said. The person in charge of a "whitelist" recycling company in Jiangsu suggested that the company can explore building its own brand recycling system, cooperate with express logistics companies, and directly send the goods to qualified recycling companies after consumers place orders. Professor Ou Wei'an from the Law School of Guangzhou University suggests improving the relevant standards and regulations for the recycling of power banks. A standardized power bank recycling system can be established by clarifying the recycling process and standards, setting up unified recycling points, and other methods. For example, the "trade in" model can be promoted, and brand owners can launch a recycling and deduction activity for old power banks when selling new ones, attracting enterprises and consumers to actively participate and promoting the further "sunshine" of the power bank recycling industry chain. Industry insiders suggest that, given the current revocation or suspension of 3C certification certificates from multiple power bank and battery cell manufacturers by certification agencies, if consumers are not in a hurry to use them, they can wait for the market to settle for a period of time before purchasing, and should not blindly "charge low prices". Ou Wei'an and others suggested strengthening the supervision of second-hand trading platforms, requiring platforms to strengthen the review of merchants who have settled in, and prohibiting merchants from selling power banks without legal sources or 3C certification; In response to recent claims by some online stores that they can customize 3C certification stickers and other illegal activities, the regulatory authorities must crack down severely to maintain a healthy and fair market order. (New Society)