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Electronics Are 'the Fastest-Growing Waste Stream in the World' (vice.com)
Electronic waste is a growing threat to the environment. Thanks to the low cost of manufacturing, it's easier than ever for corporations to pump out millions of laptops, smart phones, internet of things devices, and other electronics. From a report: A new initiative combining the efforts of the United Nations and the World Economic Forum and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development wants to change that. The group formed the Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy (PACE), and announced itself at Davos -- a yearly gathering of the world's wealthy elite -- where it released its first report. "E-waste is now the fastest-growing waste stream in the world," PACE's report said. "It is estimated this waste stream reached 48.5 million tonnes in 2018." Most of that waste comes from Europe and the United States and ends up in places like Nigeria and Hong Kong, which suffer the human and economic costs of disposing of the material. "The material value [of e-waste] alone is worth $62.5 billion, three times more than the annual output of the world's silver mines and more than the GDP of most countries," PACE's report [PDF] said.
Make standards, enforce them, include a recycling fee deposit in the price, etc. THERE ARE SOLUTIONS, expecting it to solve itself is lazy Libertarian fantasy faggot shit.
You would think that some smart person would come up with a way to recycle this junk and reclaim the valuable minerals.
I guess it's cheaper to exploit miners in third world countries to mine new minerals rather than exploit recyclers in third world countries to reclaim the minerals.
I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
Windows XP being end of life’d despite being offered on netbooks new less than five years before the deadline. Now with Windows 7 being chopped we will have even more junk. Pefectly good 32 bit hardware is being scrapped due to progammers too lazy to optimize ram usage. The situation is worse with MacOS and android with the lack of updates being offered to most devices. Meanhile my “dumb” phone still is functional 10 years later.
So many products are essentially disposable because of the built-in non-user removable batteries. How about we outlaw that?
If I could have bought a genuine battery for my LG Nexus 5 instead of buying another phone, I would have. The only thing wrong with my defunct 2010 MacBook Pro is the battery. Headphones, another great example. How do you replace the batteries in Apple's AirPods? I still own lots of my old game consoles, and play them occasionally, going back to the Sega Mega Drive (Genisis for you US folk). I was gifted a Nintendo Switch, but I doubt that will work in 20+ years like the Mega Drive.
If we can stop this cancer, and even standardise the batteries, it will solve a lot of e-waste.
Tossing your trash out of your immediate line of sight still dirties up the same rock we all live on.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
Plastic straws have a replacement of wax paper straws.
Being that plastic straws advantages over paper really do not counteract their overall disadvantages. Why do you think there should be so much outrage from banning a hazardous product, when there is an overall useful alternative.
Or was there some conservative talk show host, who wanted you to get angry about something really minor and wouldn't really affect your live in any noticeable way.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
another political bigot. I guess you think all Republicans don't give a shit. Well bigot, I think paper straws would be great. What I grew up with. While we are at it bigot. How about we bring back a service like the milk man, where used bottles(glass) was picked up and reused. this could be used for milk, soda, and any other heavily used bottles. But then, you are a political bigot. And think only your party of choice can offer solutions.
Anonymous comments are as pathetic as the anonymous "sources" that contaminate gutless journalism from the New York Time
Apple accepts any old Apple product, and extracts as much as they can from it. In the last large keynote they did the stated goal was no more mining of materials because they could get what they needed from recycling old devices.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
100% tax on devices with glued-in batteries that can't be changed by the user in under 10 minutes. Same with soldered-in non-upgradeable storage. Donesky!
Isn't that an obvious conclusion when product companies actively block products from being repaired? And going as far as classifying something as trivial as a battery replacement AS a repair?
Granted with some devices that are small (Like Bluetooth hands-free sets) making them large enough for a battery replacement is difficult, but with no headphone jack, we're still back to the producing company to point the primary finger at for why this is happening.
I know its far fetched but what if companies (by rules I guess ? give ideas) maybe if they could use some kind of regular standard on design that way companies could reuse the same equipment or hardware. Less garbage in the end. Its not a perfect solution and I'm sure its going to be a NO from Apple for example since one of their biggest marketing strategy is to be different visually when making phones and laptops...#fuck apple anyways.
... is two years old! How will I fit in with such an old "device"?
CUR ALLOC 20195.....5804M
Everything that is sold needs to be evaluated for to cost of recycling it and then add that cost to the item as a tax. That way, when a recycler spends $X to recycle thrown out object Y then they get that recycling investment money.
This isn't a complex problem, we just have weak/corrupt politicians stopping us from doing what has to be done.
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
You have a choice: increase access to the poor and protect the environment. There is no viable market model for a = $100 phone that makes it not a pile of crap that will be unsupported 2 months before it hits the market. If there were, Apple probably would have found it and monetized it.
People need to get used to the fact that the market forces that open up all of these electronics to people who cannot afford to spend $700 for a phone, $2k for a laptop and such guarantee that it will be a pile of garbage that is designed to be replaced more of than it should be from an environmental perspective. You simply cannot make a super high quality device at that price point using anything resembling current specs.
So your counter action of me calling out An Anonymous Coward post as being a partisan political talking head, is then attacking me for being a partisan talking head for the other side.
I never said "ALL" I was targeting the Anonymous Coward post. But I have experience people who seem to be going off changes to what ever crazy thing that doesn't really negatively effect anyone, for the most part the reason is because some conservative talk show host decided to rant about it.
I have no problem with such delivery services and refund and recycling services. The key reason why glass delivery of milk was phased out, was mostly due to problems with cleaning the glass bottles safely (my father was in the Milk industry for many decades), People would be using these glass bottles to hold gasoline, and other chemicals, which may not be able to safely washed with the standard methods. It is actually safer to recycle the products by melting them down and reforming them again, then washing and reusing them.
Not all republicans and not all democrats fit the stereotypes on what they are suppose to be. But the key point is people with political leanings needs to recognize their rage, on if it is actually something important, or just something someone told you was important, and that you woulsn't have cared otherwise.
I myself is actually rather politically moderate, I often have equal amount of people calling me Liberal and Conservative. But I strongly hate it when people start going on some rant over a small things.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
I initially misread the title as Electronic Arts the fastest growing waste...
Got a little laugh out of that.
A real solution: Standards and Modularity. Modularize and standardize batteries, power supplies, cables, chargers, interfaces, screens, cases, individual components/sub-components and assemblies so they can be reused and used in multiple types of devices. Even screws. Now everything is so proprietary that things can't be reused or used in different systems, so everything becomes waste.
- Non-removable batteries : Illegal
- Glued RAM/SSD/CPU/... : Illegal
- Anything unrepairable : Illegal !!
Will $CURRENT_YEAR be the year of the Linux Desktop?
With Electric batteries having a limited life span (like all of my old smart phones), we should include electric cars, which are basically smart phones on wheels. lol.
Well, why don't you look at the original post where he referenced Rush in the final sentence. Guess your reading comprehension is like your bravery. None
Anonymous comments are as pathetic as the anonymous "sources" that contaminate gutless journalism from the New York Time
I attacked on a parasitism basis due to the final sentence commenting that individuals would be upset about the plastic straw because Rush told them to. And I seen the glass bottle idea on cnn or another major media site. Wish the idea was mine, but it isn't. Just thought it was a good idea. Because the plastic bottles are worse then straws as far as pollution.
Anonymous comments are as pathetic as the anonymous "sources" that contaminate gutless journalism from the New York Time
Why is this even a thing? So what? China, Hong Kong, etc. gathers the materials, manufactures it, and sells it in the US. We in the US buy it, use it, and when we're done with it, we send it back. If it's such a problem, they should figure out how to deal with it, since it's all going back from whence it came anyway.
How about we bring back a service like the milk man, where used bottles(glass) was picked up and reused.
My grocery store does this for certain dairy distributors. The milk bottles have a $2 surcharge on them, making a bottle of milk much more expensive, but when you bring a bottle back on your next visit, you get a $2 credit on your grocery bill.
And yet - you attacked on a partisan basis making an asinine assumption and then doubled down in your defense - STILL not getting to the actual point that the plastic straw ban was vapid and virtue signaling and meaningless and that digital waste is a much bigger, more prevalent and more hazardous problem than plastic straws and yet, will not be banned.
The difference is that electronics are far more critical to our society than plastic straws, which are pretty easy to cut out of your life, just like plastic bags.
There should be significant tax penalties for:
- Non replaceable batteries OR OEM refuses to make available replacement batteries
- Devices that can't be reasonably easily opened (e.g. require hot air gun to pry away glued-down screen to get into case)
- Vendor applies warranty void stickers or attempts to void warranty for effecting a repair via replacement of a battery or modular part
And smaller penalties for:
- Devices that are not modular (e.g. things like cameras, speakers, etc. soldered to mainboard)
- Vendor commits to OS security updates and/or critical fixes for less than 3 years
..in absolute numbers how environmental footprint of all of electronics industry compares to the footprint of a single full size container cargo or tanker ship.
Fuck off asshole. Another fucking coward that didn't read the final sentence of the original comment. And bitch, because that's all you are. I offered a more productive way of stooping pollution you cunt. What have you offered to this conversation but your fucking bigotry. And bitch, the only good bigot is a dead one. So bigot, I hope you become a good bigot soon.
Anonymous comments are as pathetic as the anonymous "sources" that contaminate gutless journalism from the New York Time
And plastic bottles, those stupid peanuts used for packing, fast food containers, plastic bags. All of those articles can be replaced with other materials that are bio degradable.
I actually reuse plastic bags and the plastic containers you get some food out of the freezer section of the supermarket. But yes, they do end up in the trash. So they should be replaced with biodegradable packaging instead.
Anonymous comments are as pathetic as the anonymous "sources" that contaminate gutless journalism from the New York Time
It should be illegal to manufacture, or import for resale and electronic product into which batteries have been glued.
If they can't be easily removed and replaced by the end user, then the product shouldn't be allowed into (well, Canada for me), but any "first world" nation.
A government is a body of people notably ungoverned - AC
I'll be willing to come on board on the paper straws side of things when they come up with cost effective straws that don't disintegrate in the drinks and don't screw with the flavour of the drink. (And, yes, they do screw with the flavour, or, at least the ones the local greasy spoon uses do.) Of course, I have a solution to that problem: just don't use a straw.
If it works in theory, try something else in practice.
Best Buy will take your obsolete electronics for recycling at all US stores. There is usually a bin at the front door for small items, but larger items can be dropped off at the customer service desk.
$5 / month hosted VPS on linux = awesome!
I'm trying to do my part...
https://www.practicalmachinist...
My 2 step solution: If you're no longer providing reasonably priced support, you must release all tech info so others can. And, if you manufacture it, anyone can dump your product back on your doorstep for you to deal with...
When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law he tore his robes.2Kings22:11
Jesus dude. Take your meds.
.. even if you feel better.
A government is a body of people notably ungoverned - AC
Oh yeah you must be support Fauxcahontis. How's that Cherokee working for you? You are an idiot.
One problem I see is that in my town we have an electronic "recycling" bin at the landfill which really just goes to a scrapper. People put their old electronics in there thinking that they're doing such good for the world.
Unfortunately there's quite a few good items put in there like flat panel TV's that just need a minor repair. I've seen i5 class computers, perfectly good JBL speakers, and lots of laptop power supplied, among a lot of other stuff. Unfortunately, the town makes a few cents per pound, so we're prohibited from actually doing the environment good and reusing the items.
Of course, no one wants ink-jet printers, or glass tube televisions, especially the 39" Sony. The glass on those is about an inch thick, but there's a lot of usable items going to scrap.
Dude - stop feeding the trolls.
This is a tempest in a teapot. Manufacturers know that survivability requires limited lifetime products. There are only 7 billion people on this planet which means it is very easy to limit your profitability if you can not generate repeat sales.
This would not normally be a problem. It is the nature of the beast. Where the problem comes in is greed. Sure, that iphone could last for 10 years easily... but, we want MORE money than default attrition would give... so the attrition rate is increased to where your phone will generally only last about two years rather than 10.
All because of greed, not because of entropy.
Since we are not going to ever deal with greed in a rational manner, we may as well just get used to having electronic waste build in a geometric fashion.
Enjoy the ride.
"Someone needs to talk to the tree of liberty about its ghoulish drinking problem." by ohnocitizen
Only have one coward. Thats why my karma is never the same. Only someone that does the act would know how to do the act. How many accounts you have?
Anonymous comments are as pathetic as the anonymous "sources" that contaminate gutless journalism from the New York Time