Problem
Millions of tonnes of electronic waste are dumped every year from developed nations, shipped overseas and not thought of again. These items contain hazardous materials to humans like mercury.
Items such as LCD monitors can release poisonous vapors when smashed – which may be occurring on a regular basis in the landfill stations of developing countries.
The oceans and sea life? Lord knows what they are consuming thanks to the manufacturing of our “must have items.”
The originating countries rarely take the problem of disposing of e-waste safely and securely as it is a very expensive endeavor that reduces the bottom-line value of the items produced.
Coupled with the cost of production, a lack of regulation for its safe removal and… Let’s put it this way –
Why make measurements for a cost you have no legal obligation to pay?
Solution
If there were to be political fallback placed on companies who regularly neglect their obligation to recycling their e-waste, obviously this is a bad thing.
But there needs to be a mitigating incentive in place to at least push these companies into taking action for the poor ethical management of their products.
Removal of planned obsolescence.
This, no doubt would be a hard pill for a lot of companies to swallow, however, if there is a rise in ethical consumers, this may be one way to attract their attention.
There could also be a business opportunity here for a startup phone manufacturing company to go after a market not yet serviced by the major producers.
A phone is a hard piece of plastic and metal which contains electronics with specific functions. They are designed for a limited shelf life.
Remove this design.
Build the phone as a chassis that can be constantly updated and upgraded with minimal effort and intrusion.
By bringing the item into an upgrade shop the little e-waste that is created is more manageable and already in the hands of the producers.
This does not just have to be limited to phones.
Laptops and TVs – technicians could go door to door for upgrade services that expand the life of these devices by limiting the waste that these machines produce.
You will hold on to your item for life (or as long as the physicality will allow) and you merely pay for the internal upgrades as you desire and as they are released.
It will not eliminate e-waste altogether, but it does put the situation into a greater perspective of which it currently is not.
From there, a proper solution should be a step easier to realise, if not discuss – as measures will have been established.
