CNN
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If you have one or more drawers full of old gadgets and wires, you’re not alone.
Decades of “innovate or die” pressure in the tech sector has resulted in a long list of useful and flashy home tech products, but many of these same devices are dwarfed by new technology as it emerges. You also need to replace them about as fast as you do.
This so-called planned obsolescence, combined with the limited number of options for repairing old devices over the years, has resulted in a tsunami of e-waste, also known as e-waste. And the ramifications of that go far beyond the headache of what to do with clutter in your home.
“Planned obsolescence will only make things worse. People now expect to get a new computer every three or four years and a new phone every two years,” he told Seattle. said Jim Puckett, executive director of Basel Action Network, the e-waste monitoring group based in “It’s a mountain that keeps growing.”
According to the latest data from the United Nations, the world generated a staggering 53.6 million tons of e-waste in 2019, of which only 17.4% was recycled. The burden and harm of e-waste often falls on people in developing countries. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states that “an undetermined amount of used electronic equipment is being shipped from the United States and other developed countries to developing countries that either refuse to import or do not have the capacity to properly dispose of these materials. It is estimated that
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned last year that the disposal and disposal of rapidly increasing amounts of e-waste is causing a range of “adverse health effects for children,” including altered lung function, DNA damage, and an increased risk of chronic diseases such as cancer. I warned you that it could happen. Cardiovascular disease later in life.
Additionally, there are over 18 million children and young people “actively engaged” in the informal e-waste industry, WHO warns. According to the WHO, children and adolescents are often used to scour e-waste heaps for valuable materials such as copper and gold.
The e-waste issue “is about environmental justice on a global scale,” said Puckett. “It’s about preventing rich countries from dumping their waste and dirty technology into developing countries.”
The growing environmental crisis is now grabbing the attention of legislators from Europe to the United States, as well as communities in developing countries where e-waste has historically been offshored.
EU authorities approved a new law last month that requires all phones and electronic devices to use standard, brand-agnostic chargers. Three progressive US lawmakers wrote letters urging the US to follow suit.
Senators Ed Markey, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders said the new EU policy would “drastically reduce e-waste and entangle charging to find or buy compatible chargers.” It could help consumers who are tired of rummaging through junk drawers full of dishes.” Something new,” he wrote in a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. Senators alluded to the bipartisan hot topic of “challenging powerful tech companies” for the benefit of consumers and the environment.
However, for now, e-waste regulations are largely non-existent at the state level. A sign of federal policy moving forward in the near future. If it doesn’t exist, the onus remains on consumers and businesses to take the initiative and find better ways to deal with aging electronics.
When Corey Dehmey worked in corporate IT, he Figuring out what to do with the company’s hundreds of out-of-date computers. Today, he is Executive Director of the non-profit Sustainable Electronics Recycling International (SERI), a group that seeks to tackle the e-waste crisis by strengthening cooperation between governments, the private sector and consumers. is a member of
“E-waste is the result of a lack of planning throughout the product lifecycle,” says Dehmey. “We are just responding to problems that we created years ago. We need to think about what we have and what we are buying as consumers.”
To that end, SERI has introduced and oversees its own certification standards for e-waste recycling that ensure that facilities are properly disposing of e-waste. It also hosts events for businesses and other stakeholders and engages in advocacy to pressure companies and governments to adopt more sustainable approaches to the development of electronic devices.
“We have to think about how to use [an electronic device] Longer, fix, reuse,” said Dehmey, noting that this requires a change in mindset for both consumers and businesses.
There are several reasons for optimism on this front in recent months. The surge in e-waste has increased pressure on manufacturers to ease restrictions on when individuals and independent repair shops can repair devices, in a movement known as the “Right to Repair” movement. President Joe Biden last year passed an executive order directing the Federal Trade Commission to issue a rule allowing DIY repairs, and the FTC vowed to “eradicate” illegal repair restrictions. .
A handful of tech companies are now launching initiatives to help repair old gadgets. Earlier this year, Apple and Samsung launched self-service repair shops to provide parts for users who want to fix their smartphones themselves. Google has similarly promised that parts to repair Pixel phones will be available to the public later this year.
Various coalitions have emerged in recent years to provide consumers with options to responsibly dispose of their devices. Puckett helped launch e-waste recycling initiative e-Stewards. It certifies and audits electronics recyclers to ensure they are properly disposing of their e-waste using “very strict standards.”
This tool allows consumers to find nearby recycling centers. SERI also provides an online tool for finding authorized recycling centers.
SERI’s chief provocateur, Jeff Seibert (yes, that’s his real name), also recommends that consumers check with local governments to see if they have designated plans for recycling e-waste. increase. Some US retailers, such as Staples and Best Buy, also have programs in place to allow consumers to bring their e-waste for recycling in the absence of extensive infrastructure. Other companies, including Apple, have programs that offer credit or free recycling in exchange for trading in used gadgets.
Before choosing to donate or recycle your used electronic equipment, the EPA recommends that you consider upgrading your computer’s hardware or software instead of purchasing a new product. If you decide to recycle, EPA encourages consumers to remove any batteries that may need to be recycled separately. According to the agency, recycling one million laptops saves energy equivalent to powering more than 3,500 of her U.S. homes in a year. Officials say that for every million cell phones recycled, 35,000 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold and 33 pounds of palladium are recovered.
Apart from these options, Seibert only encourages consumers to start thinking about electronics the same way they think about cars. No more scrapping your car when you need new tires or have a cracked windshield.
“Everybody wants to do the right thing,” says Seibert. “So we need to provide them with the resources to make that possible, and that’s still a work in progress.”
