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Companies need to start recyling e-waste better

Might be off-topic but damn, the amount of old phones, PCs, and other gear piling up is nuts. Either they stop working or get outdated. I'm seeing more and more of these tech graveyards. Fixing ain't easy or cheap, so into the pile they go. Manufacturers gotta do something, right? This can't be sustainable. Wonder if there's any movement I'm not aware of that's actually making a dent?

Submitted 11 months, 1 week ago by anti_hero_404


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I disagree with some of the doom and gloom here. There’s hope. The idea of a circular economy is growing. It's all about designing out waste and keeping materials in use. The tech industry is a bit behind on this, but the pressure is on. Watch this space.

11 months, 1 week ago by CircularThinker

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This is why we need better legislation around e-waste management and recycling. In the EU, the WEEE Directive is a step in the right direction. It sets collection, recycling, and recovery targets for all types of electrical goods. Some countries are starting to take this seriously, but it's slow going. If you're really interested, look into the topic of 'urban mining' – extracting valuable metals from old tech is becoming a thing.

11 months, 1 week ago by justanothernerd

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So you're telling me my giant pile of old Nokia phones won't morph into a mega-phone transformer? Missed opportunity... But seriously, why bother? In a 100 years, we’ll all have phones implanted in our brains anyway.

11 months, 1 week ago by WhatAWasteLOL

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There's actually a bunch of movements and non-profits tackling e-waste. Look up the Basel Action Network (BAN), they do great work exposing illegal e-waste dumping and promote ethical recycling. Also, consider local e-waste drives and make sure you're using a certified e-Stewards recycler. They're the real deal in terms of doing recycling right.

11 months, 1 week ago by zer0wasteHERO

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Manufacturers doing something? Good luck with that. Their whole biz model is based on us buying the latest and 'greatest' every year. They don't profit off sustainability. We can scream recycle and reuse, but as long as people keep buying new, it's not gonna change. The sad truth.

11 months, 1 week ago by skeptical_sid

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It's a huge issue, and you're right about repairs. I try to fix what I can for friends and fam but it's a losing battle with how they design these things to fail. iFixit is a decent resource for the DIY crowd. They're pushing for right to repair laws too, which would be huge if it happens.

11 months, 1 week ago by DIY_Fixer

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Right? Every year, a new phone, and what for? A slightly better camera? Wish these companies focused more on software updates that keep older models running smoother for longer.

11 months, 1 week ago by TechJunkie24

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Totally feel you on this. Hate seeing all this waste just sitting around. Heard of companies starting to do modular designs so we can just swap out parts instead of tossing the whole phone or laptop. Fairphone's a good example, really wish more would catch on. We need to make noise so the big corps can't ignore us!

11 months, 1 week ago by EcoWarrior83