Unlawful dumping of home appliances targeted by a recent recycling law marked a year-on-year rise during April and May in about 53 percent of the 272 municipalities who had comparable figures from the previous year, according to an Environment Ministry survey released Thursday.
The report shows 6,138 air conditioners, television sets, refrigerators and washing machines were abandoned in these cities, towns and villages, up from 4,555 units for the same period a year ago.
Figures for April, when the law took effect, showed a bigger jump — more than 50 percent — than those for May, during which the number of illegally dumped appliances rose a more modest 18 percent year-on-year.