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Here’s what you should do with that drawer full of old gadgets


Decades ago the tech sector’s “innovate or die” pressure resulted in a long list of flashy and useful home tech products, but many of them also needed to be replaced with roughly the same speed as how quickly new technology emerges.

The result of this so-called planned obsolescence, combined with some options to repair older devices In recent years, there has been a tsunami of e-waste, also known as e-waste. And the fallout from it goes beyond the headache of figuring out what to do with the clutter hidden in your home.

“Planned obsolescence only makes it worse,” said Jim Puckett, chief executive officer of Basel Action Network, a Seattle-based e-waste watchdog. get a new computer every three or four years, a new phone” corporation. “It’s a mountain that’s constantly growing.”

United Nation’s most recent data shows that the world generated a staggering 53.6 tonnes of e-waste in 2019 and only 17.4% of it was recycled. The burden and harm of e-waste often falls on those in developing countries. US Environmental Protection Agency estimate that “an unspecified amount of used electronics shipped from the United States and other developed countries to developing countries is unlikely to refuse to import or dispose of these materials appropriately.” fit.”
World Health Organization (WHO) warning Last year, increased handling and disposal of e-waste could cause a range of “adverse health effects in children”, including changes in lung function, DNA damage and an increased risk of certain diseases. chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease later in life.

Furthermore, more than 18 million children and young people are “actively involved” in the informal e-waste industry, WHO warns. Children and teenagers are often used to scouring mountains of e-waste in search of valuable materials like copper and gold” because their little hands are more dexterous than adults’ hands. “, said WHO.

The e-waste issue is “all about environmental justice on a global level,” says Puckett. “It’s about keeping rich countries from dumping waste and dirty technology into developing countries.”

A man sits in front of e-waste or e-waste from a computer at a workshop in New Delhi, India, in July 2020.

The growing environmental crisis is now drawing the attention of lawmakers from Europe to the United States, as well as communities in developing countries where e-waste has historically been neglected. affect.

EU officials last month passed new legislation requiring all phones and electronic devices to use standard, unbranded chargers, with the ability to limit the number of different cords that consumers normally need to own. Three progressive American lawmakers have called on the United States to follow suit.

Ed Markey, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders say the EU’s new policy “has the potential to significantly reduce e-waste and help consumers tired of rummaging through garbage drawers full of messy chargers to find a compatible charger or buy a new one, “in one Letters to the United States Secretary of Commerce. The senators alluded to the bipartisan hot topic of “takeovers of powerful tech companies” for the benefit of consumers and the environment.

Currently, however, e-waste regulation mainly exists at the state level and there is very little signs of federal policy progressing in the near future. Without it, consumers – and companies – have to be proactive and find better ways to deal with old electronics.

What consumers and companies can do with it

When Corey Dehmey worked in the company’s IT department, he to find out what to do with hundreds of company computers that are no longer up to date. Now, as executive director of the nonprofit Sustainable Electronics Recycling International (SERI), he is part of a group that is trying to tackle the e-waste crisis by strengthening cooperation between government, private sector and consumers.

“E-waste is the result of not planning a product over its lifecycle,” says Dehmey. “We were just reacting to a problem that we created years ago. And so if we want to achieve this, we have to think about these things on the front end – what we’re designing and what we as consumers are buying as well.”

To do that, SERI introduced and monitored certification standards for e-waste recycling ensure the facilities dispose of e-waste properly. It also organizes events for businesses and other stakeholders and engages in advocacy work to pressure companies and governments to take more sustainable approaches to development. electronic.

“We had to figure out how to use [an electronic device] This will require a mindset shift from both consumers and companies, Dehmey said.

In recent months, there are several reasons for optimism on this front. The rise in e-waste has led to increased pressure on manufacturers to ease restrictions on device repair to individuals and independent repair shops in a dynamic that called the “right to be corrected” movement. President Joe Biden last year through an executive command directed the Federal Trade Commission to issue rules requiring companies to allow DIY repairs, and FTC vows to “uproot” Limit illegal repairs.
Now, a number of tech companies have launched initiatives to help repair older devices. This early year, Apple and SAMSUNG opened their self-service repair shops, providing parts to users looking for do-it-yourself fixes for their smartphones. Google same promise Pixel phone repair parts will be available to the public later this year.
A sea of ​​e-waste piled up more than 6 feet high covers the landscape at Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling, Unity, Pa., on Friday, March 24, 2017.

Various coalitions have also emerged in recent years to give consumers the option to dispose of their devices responsibly. For example, Puckett helped launch the e-Stewards e-waste recycling initiative, which validates and audits electronics recyclers to make sure they are properly disposing of e-waste using “very strict standards”.

With this tool, consumers can search nearby recycling centers. SERI also offers a online tools to find a certified recycling center.

Jeff Seibert, executive director (yes, that’s his real title) at SERI, also recommends that consumers check with their local authorities to see if they have a plan to recycle their electrical waste. designated death or not. Some US retailers, including Staples and Best Buy, also have programs that allow consumers to bring in e-waste for recycling in the absence of broader infrastructure. Other companies, including Apple, have programs that offer credit or free recycling in exchange for selling used devices.

Before choosing to donate or recycle used electronic devices, the EPA recommends that you consider upgrading your computer’s hardware or software rather than buying a brand new product. If you decide to recycle, the EPA urges consumers to discard any batteries that may need to be recycled separately. The agency says that recycling one million laptops will save energy equivalent to the amount of electricity used by more than 3,500 homes in the US in a year. For every million cell phones recycled, the agency says it can recover 35,000 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold and 33 pounds of palladium.

Beyond these choices, Seibert is simply encouraging consumers to start thinking about electronics the same way we think about cars: we don’t throw away the car when we need new tires or if the windshield Cracked.

“Everybody wants to do the right thing,” Seibert said. “So we have to give them the resources to be able to do that, and it’s still a work in progress.”



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