Do you have a nine-year-old computer hanging out in your closet? How about a regular Nintendo that, no matter how many times you try to clean it out, just blinks on and off when you power it up?
You’re not alone. According to EPA estimates, over 99 million television sets are sitting unused in people’s homes. A good portion of those are probably due to the fact that nobody quite knows what to do with them. It’s tough when something is so outdated that you can’t use it, can’t sell it, and can’t even give it away. And if you throw it out with the garbage, its heavy metals and other toxins are sure to leach into the surrounding soil and water.
Currently, the U.S. does a fair amount of exporting of its e-waste to other nations, such as India. This video by Greenpeace talks about where e-waste ends up (check out the interactive feature with the video at greenpeace.org).
Despite the fact that this is against an international treaty signed by the United States (the Basel Convention), it happens anyway because there hasn’t been much pressure to find ways to deal with e-waste ourselves, until recently.
Since 2004, 18 states have passed laws that hold manufacturers responsible for the recycling of their products. This is all well and good, but the U.S. is still exporting defunct electronics to other nations.
Between 1997 and 2005, the average lifespan of computers dropped from six years to just two. And with a greater number of Americans owning computers–-77 per 100 people–-the problem of e-waste is only going to become more important to tackle. Hopefully, requiring manufacturers to be responsible for recycling their own products will force them to look at the cost of poorly-made devices, and, if the price of recycling is high enough, may actually lead them to conclude that it’s in their best interest to build solid electronics and provide user support for a longer period of time than we enjoy now, and to make these electronic devices easier and safer to recycle. With that, we might see a benefit to the consumer, the manufacturer, and the planet at the same time.
-Brandon
Photo taken from this photostream and used with permission of a Creative Commons license.
I appreciate your article, Brandon. I really like the idea of manufacturers building products to last for many years rather than just until the next-greatest-thing comes out. But, I wonder how much of constant upgrading comes from the buyer's own need to be current. I mean, who wants an IBM ThinkPad when all your friends are carrying around the latest slim and sexy Dell Notebook? In my experience, people that have the money tend to upgrade well before their product is actually broken.
You do address this point somewhat by mentioning the Nintendo system that has been played to death (RIP NES) -- and for products that are no longer usable programs like Do What You Can (http://dowhatyoucan.ca/Electronics/) are a great place to start.
Thanks for the article!
Hi Brandon
Boy did you say a mouth full here, yep you did.
I just bought a new computer about 2 months ago, and the old one is still sitting here in the corner, waiting for my Kids to haul it off somewhere, where ever computer heaven is.
2 years for a computer, I used my old one for about 11 or 12 years.
There must be something that could be done for re-use of parts of them.
Hugs Rosalyn
Jessica -
Yes, much of e-waste comes from both planned obsolescence and consumer hunger. My friend had a four-year-old cell phone that the company refused to fix, and they kept telling him to buy a new one... so it goes both ways!
Rosalyn-
You are a shining beacon to e-wasters everywhere! It's unfortunate that more people can't be content with what they have. I am sure your well-used computer is resting in Windows 98 peace.
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