1 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to Tech Stuff, a production from I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:15,000 Speaker 1: Hey there, and welcome to tech Stuff. I'm your host 3 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:17,440 Speaker 1: job and Strickland. I'm an executive producer with I Heart 4 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:21,560 Speaker 1: Radio and I love all things tech. And we are 5 00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:24,960 Speaker 1: taking a little break during the holiday season, um so 6 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 1: that we can enjoy some time with our our loved ones. 7 00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:31,440 Speaker 1: But I'm sure many of you out there will be 8 00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:34,839 Speaker 1: receiving some new tech gear this holiday season, so I 9 00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:37,960 Speaker 1: thought it would be a great idea to revisit this episode, 10 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:44,879 Speaker 1: which originally published on October. It is called E Waste 11 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:47,920 Speaker 1: and What to Do with It. So you might find 12 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:50,479 Speaker 1: yourself needing to get rid of some older tech. Right, 13 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:53,880 Speaker 1: you got new stuff, now you gotta figure out what 14 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:56,720 Speaker 1: to do with the old stuff. However, technology can have 15 00:00:56,800 --> 00:01:02,639 Speaker 1: some pretty nasty components in its stuff that has dangerous materials. 16 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:05,760 Speaker 1: So we're gonna learn in this episode the challenges associated 17 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:12,000 Speaker 1: with disposing of technology in a safe and responsible manner. Enjoy. 18 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:15,440 Speaker 1: So today we're going to talk about e waste or 19 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 1: electronic waste, because it's a real problem for many reasons. 20 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:22,399 Speaker 1: One of the big ones is that we live in 21 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:25,240 Speaker 1: an era in which companies are really pushing out new 22 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:28,200 Speaker 1: products at a rapid pace and doing their best to 23 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:31,760 Speaker 1: convince you that you need to buy or upgrade or 24 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:35,880 Speaker 1: whatever on a frequent basis. That's how these companies make 25 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:38,240 Speaker 1: their money, so it comes as no surprise that they 26 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:43,040 Speaker 1: would do this. It's the nature of business, and that 27 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:46,000 Speaker 1: means a couple of things have to happen to make 28 00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:49,640 Speaker 1: that business plan actually work. And one of those things 29 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:53,120 Speaker 1: is that ideally you make a product that's good, but 30 00:01:53,320 --> 00:01:56,120 Speaker 1: not so good that your customers will never need another 31 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:59,480 Speaker 1: one after they buy the first one. It's the everlasting 32 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:02,720 Speaker 1: gobstopper problem of Willy Wonka. If you actually made a 33 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:06,240 Speaker 1: candy that never got any smaller and never lost its flavor, 34 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 1: people would only buy one and would never need a 35 00:02:09,040 --> 00:02:12,919 Speaker 1: second one. And where do you go then? So as 36 00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:15,640 Speaker 1: another example in the tech world, let's let's imagine that 37 00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 1: you have created a really cool smart watch and it 38 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:22,960 Speaker 1: actually has features that people find really compelling. You made 39 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:26,760 Speaker 1: the first smart watch that a a larger audience thinks 40 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:29,600 Speaker 1: that actually makes a lot of sense. So your market 41 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:33,359 Speaker 1: is going to be everybody who might want and who 42 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:37,840 Speaker 1: can afford a smart watch. Now, obviously that doesn't include 43 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:40,679 Speaker 1: every single human being. Some people are not going to 44 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:43,440 Speaker 1: be able to afford it. Some people are not going 45 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:46,440 Speaker 1: to be interested in it. But you're trying to target 46 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:49,560 Speaker 1: everyone who would want one and who could afford one. 47 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 1: So now, let's say you are incredibly successful in an 48 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:59,920 Speaker 1: unprecedented move. Somehow you have convinced every single person that's 49 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:04,360 Speaker 1: in that target group to buy one of your smart watches. Congratulations, 50 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:07,079 Speaker 1: it's a big hit. Only what do you do next. 51 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:10,200 Speaker 1: Because you're operating a company, you are not going to 52 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:14,080 Speaker 1: magically sell more of those smart watches beyond your target group, 53 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:17,920 Speaker 1: because the rest of humanity either doesn't want one, or 54 00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:21,560 Speaker 1: they can't afford one, or both, So soon you go 55 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:24,040 Speaker 1: out of business because you have nothing else to sell. 56 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:28,440 Speaker 1: Or let's say instead, you want to make a smart watch, 57 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:31,959 Speaker 1: and you've come up with a whole list of really cool, 58 00:03:32,040 --> 00:03:36,720 Speaker 1: compelling features, but you choose to only implement a selection 59 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:39,400 Speaker 1: of those features in your first smart watch. You hold 60 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:42,080 Speaker 1: back a few more. Maybe you're holding them back because 61 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:45,840 Speaker 1: they're not quite ready. Maybe you're holding back because the 62 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:48,200 Speaker 1: technology of the smart watch isn't quite at the point 63 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 1: where it can support those features. Or maybe you're doing 64 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:54,920 Speaker 1: it just so that you can save some stuff for 65 00:03:54,960 --> 00:03:58,440 Speaker 1: the next generation of smart watches. You also make your 66 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:02,880 Speaker 1: smart watches out of good but not great materials, including 67 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:07,560 Speaker 1: stuff like batteries. That way, the smart watches begin to 68 00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:10,400 Speaker 1: wear out after a set amount of time, maybe a 69 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:13,240 Speaker 1: couple of years. And your goal is that you want 70 00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:15,960 Speaker 1: to win a loyal base of customers, and then you 71 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:18,719 Speaker 1: want to convince that same group to turn around and 72 00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:22,240 Speaker 1: buy the next generation of your hardware, and then do 73 00:04:22,279 --> 00:04:25,760 Speaker 1: it again and again. That's essentially how a lot of 74 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:29,320 Speaker 1: the smartphone industry works, at least for brands like the iPhone. 75 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:32,560 Speaker 1: One of the reasons Apple is so successful is as 76 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:35,800 Speaker 1: a company, it has managed to convince customers to purchase 77 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 1: updated versions of its hardware time and time again, sometimes 78 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:43,320 Speaker 1: on an accelerated time scale. It might not happen with 79 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:47,760 Speaker 1: every generation for every product, but it happens enough to 80 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:51,880 Speaker 1: keep the company really profitable. I'm sure you know people. 81 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:53,800 Speaker 1: If you are not one of these people, you probably 82 00:04:53,839 --> 00:04:58,280 Speaker 1: know somebody who upgrades their iPhone every year, so they 83 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:01,279 Speaker 1: get the latest version of the I own every single 84 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:05,200 Speaker 1: twelve months. That's the kind of of era we are in. 85 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:09,880 Speaker 1: And while that doesn't cover every single Apple customer, it 86 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:11,600 Speaker 1: covers a lot of them, and there are a lot 87 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:14,560 Speaker 1: more customers who every two years or three years will 88 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:18,920 Speaker 1: do this upgrade. And while I could and probably one 89 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:22,320 Speaker 1: day will do a full episode about the concept of 90 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:25,719 Speaker 1: planned obsolescence. That's where a company makes a product that 91 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:30,400 Speaker 1: essentially has an expiration date that the company has made 92 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:33,880 Speaker 1: something with the plan of having that thing become obsolete 93 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:37,000 Speaker 1: within a certain amount of time. Today, we're gonna look 94 00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:39,039 Speaker 1: at the other side of that problem. What do we 95 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:42,480 Speaker 1: do with the obsolete technology when something better comes along, 96 00:05:43,080 --> 00:05:47,040 Speaker 1: Whether the technology still works or maybe it's beyond repair, 97 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:49,280 Speaker 1: what do we do with it when we're done with it. 98 00:05:50,360 --> 00:05:52,560 Speaker 1: That's why we're going to talk about electronic waste. And 99 00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:55,760 Speaker 1: it's a huge category because it includes not just the 100 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:59,720 Speaker 1: technology that no longer works or technology that's become obsolete. 101 00:06:00,279 --> 00:06:04,320 Speaker 1: It includes all tech that is no longer wanted by 102 00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:07,479 Speaker 1: its original owner. So you might have a phone that's 103 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:11,559 Speaker 1: several years old but still works perfectly well, but you'll 104 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:14,839 Speaker 1: be confronted with all sorts of advertising and messaging that 105 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:17,760 Speaker 1: what you should do is ditch that old phone for 106 00:06:17,880 --> 00:06:20,719 Speaker 1: something new and shiny with a lot more features. And 107 00:06:20,760 --> 00:06:23,000 Speaker 1: your old phone, even if it is still in perfect 108 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:26,120 Speaker 1: working order becomes e waste. The moment you decide you 109 00:06:26,200 --> 00:06:29,600 Speaker 1: want a new phone, what happens next is up to you. 110 00:06:30,040 --> 00:06:33,880 Speaker 1: You have some options. You might choose to recycle your phone, 111 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:39,719 Speaker 1: in which case I recommend first you wipe everything off 112 00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 1: your device, whether it's a phone, a computer, anything that 113 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:47,440 Speaker 1: could record your information. You need to wipe that device clean, 114 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:51,080 Speaker 1: return it to factory settings, make sure that your personal 115 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:54,440 Speaker 1: data is no longer associated with that machine before you 116 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:56,599 Speaker 1: turn it in. And I also recommend you do some 117 00:06:56,640 --> 00:07:00,400 Speaker 1: research into the various services that offer to either cycle 118 00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:04,120 Speaker 1: components for you, or they're going to donate the device 119 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:06,520 Speaker 1: to someone in need, so it's going to be reused 120 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:10,520 Speaker 1: rather than recycled. Make sure that that service is reputable. 121 00:07:10,640 --> 00:07:12,640 Speaker 1: There are some companies that can cause harm through the 122 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:18,960 Speaker 1: recycling process or through the smoke screen of donating it 123 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:21,679 Speaker 1: to people in need. More on that in just a second. 124 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:26,480 Speaker 1: Or maybe you don't want to recycle or reuse, or 125 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:30,160 Speaker 1: maybe you just don't have the the services that are 126 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:33,680 Speaker 1: readily available, or you're not interested. You just shrug your 127 00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:36,320 Speaker 1: shoulders and you toss your phone in the trash. That 128 00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:39,960 Speaker 1: is not a great plan, and it can be against 129 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:43,240 Speaker 1: the law depending upon where you live. Many electronics have 130 00:07:43,280 --> 00:07:47,240 Speaker 1: components in them that are not environmentally friendly, and they 131 00:07:47,280 --> 00:07:51,920 Speaker 1: don't exactly biodegrade. Electronics might have toxic materials in them. 132 00:07:51,920 --> 00:07:54,320 Speaker 1: In fact, most of them do, stuff like lead, or 133 00:07:54,440 --> 00:07:58,120 Speaker 1: arsenic or mercury. Exposure to the elements would cause those 134 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:01,600 Speaker 1: chemicals possibly to leach into this rounding environment and it 135 00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:04,360 Speaker 1: ain't fantastic. So here's some examples of some of the stuff. 136 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:09,840 Speaker 1: So lead toxicity can affect every oregan system in our bodies. 137 00:08:10,080 --> 00:08:13,320 Speaker 1: Lead can inhibit or mimic the actions of calcium and 138 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:17,480 Speaker 1: interact with proteins. The nervous system is particularly vulnerable, and 139 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:22,600 Speaker 1: lead exposure can cause neurological damage, particularly in children. Mercury 140 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:26,200 Speaker 1: is also nasty stuff. It's toxic to the nervous system. 141 00:08:26,320 --> 00:08:30,160 Speaker 1: It's also toxic to the digestive system and the immune system. 142 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:34,400 Speaker 1: It can cause blindness, muscle weakness, impaired movement, and lots 143 00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:38,800 Speaker 1: of other neurological effects. Arsenic isn't a lot of electronics. 144 00:08:38,800 --> 00:08:41,960 Speaker 1: That's a carcinogen that's associated with many different types of cancer, 145 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:44,920 Speaker 1: and it's also a neurotoxin. You've probably heard of arsenic 146 00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:49,800 Speaker 1: and old lace yeah, popular poison among UH mystery novelists. 147 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:55,040 Speaker 1: It's popular because it's deadly stuff. Beryllium is another dangerous 148 00:08:55,880 --> 00:08:59,319 Speaker 1: element that's in a lot of electronics. Exposure to brillium 149 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:02,760 Speaker 1: is typically pretty minimal for most of us, but you 150 00:09:02,800 --> 00:09:06,880 Speaker 1: could have continued exposure due to maybe living near, for example, 151 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:10,600 Speaker 1: a recycling center that's not doing a good job at 152 00:09:10,679 --> 00:09:13,720 Speaker 1: containing this stuff. That can lead to health problems ranging 153 00:09:13,760 --> 00:09:17,320 Speaker 1: from skin diseases to what is called acute beryllium disease, 154 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:21,559 Speaker 1: which the symptoms are very similar to pneumonia. It can 155 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:24,760 Speaker 1: even lead, although this is pretty rare, to lung cancer. 156 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:28,840 Speaker 1: Then there's rominated flame retardants. This is actually a class 157 00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:33,319 Speaker 1: of synthetic chemicals that are designed to make stuff less flammable. 158 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:37,880 Speaker 1: Frequently it tends to be incorporated directly into plastics. Some 159 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:40,080 Speaker 1: of them, like p B d e S, have been 160 00:09:40,120 --> 00:09:44,880 Speaker 1: linked to numerous health risks, including memory and learning problems. Also, 161 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:50,160 Speaker 1: thyroid disruption, reduced fertility, advanced puberty, and delayed mental and 162 00:09:50,200 --> 00:09:54,880 Speaker 1: physical development. So we're talking serious consequences from some of 163 00:09:54,880 --> 00:09:58,280 Speaker 1: the stuff that's in our electronics. There's also the possibility 164 00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:01,720 Speaker 1: that if you throw your tech away instead of it 165 00:10:01,760 --> 00:10:04,000 Speaker 1: going to say a landfill, which is already pretty bad. 166 00:10:04,280 --> 00:10:06,600 Speaker 1: They might go to an incinerator, which could be even 167 00:10:06,640 --> 00:10:10,240 Speaker 1: worse because then it gets thrown into a furnace and 168 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:14,200 Speaker 1: subjected to high heat, it could produce other pollutants and 169 00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:17,120 Speaker 1: those could all be released directly into the environment, causing 170 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:21,320 Speaker 1: environmental harm and health hazards to the population nearby. Or 171 00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:24,600 Speaker 1: maybe you take a different choice. Maybe you don't send 172 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:27,320 Speaker 1: it off to be reused recycled, maybe you don't throw 173 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:29,880 Speaker 1: it away. Maybe it just takes up space in your home. 174 00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:32,800 Speaker 1: But that's also not great. Sometimes it feels like it's 175 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:37,560 Speaker 1: the least bad situation, but you can find ways of 176 00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:41,200 Speaker 1: have it making sure your device is reused recycled responsibly. 177 00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:43,160 Speaker 1: I'll talk more about that in just a second, but 178 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:46,520 Speaker 1: first let's take a quick break to thank our sponsor. 179 00:10:55,840 --> 00:11:01,400 Speaker 1: In a Gallop survey found that forty scent of Americans 180 00:11:01,840 --> 00:11:05,920 Speaker 1: would upgrade their mobile handsets as soon as they were 181 00:11:05,920 --> 00:11:09,720 Speaker 1: able to according to their phone plans. So in America, 182 00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:15,000 Speaker 1: until fairly recently, it was really common that these mobile 183 00:11:15,559 --> 00:11:19,800 Speaker 1: providers would subsidize handset costs through the actual phone service 184 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:23,480 Speaker 1: plans themselves, and so the cost of the handsets to 185 00:11:23,480 --> 00:11:27,160 Speaker 1: the customer were much lower on an upfront basis than 186 00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:29,240 Speaker 1: you would find in other places in the world. So 187 00:11:29,280 --> 00:11:32,120 Speaker 1: instead of having to spend several hundred dollars to buy 188 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:35,480 Speaker 1: a handset, it might be very cheap, but that cost 189 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:39,360 Speaker 1: would be incorporated into your phone plan. It would just 190 00:11:39,400 --> 00:11:42,160 Speaker 1: be spread out over the course of your contract, which 191 00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:45,640 Speaker 1: in America would typically last about two years. So every 192 00:11:45,679 --> 00:11:48,120 Speaker 1: two years your contract would come up and you would 193 00:11:48,160 --> 00:11:52,520 Speaker 1: become eligible to upgrade your phone for a new contract. 194 00:11:52,920 --> 00:11:56,000 Speaker 1: And everybody seemed to benefit from this. You got a 195 00:11:56,040 --> 00:12:00,800 Speaker 1: new phone, the phone company had you for another two years. Ultimately, 196 00:12:00,880 --> 00:12:03,240 Speaker 1: over the course of those two years, you're probably paying 197 00:12:03,280 --> 00:12:05,360 Speaker 1: more for that handset than you would if you had 198 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:07,640 Speaker 1: bought it all up front. It's just those payments have 199 00:12:07,720 --> 00:12:11,760 Speaker 1: been spread out over twenty four months. And it seemed 200 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:14,400 Speaker 1: like it was a fairly nice proposition, except for the 201 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:16,520 Speaker 1: fact that that meant that people were generating a lot 202 00:12:16,559 --> 00:12:20,239 Speaker 1: of electronic waste. All these old handsets were starting to accumulate, 203 00:12:21,040 --> 00:12:25,800 Speaker 1: and that's just mobile handsets. Generally speaking. Computer experts say 204 00:12:25,840 --> 00:12:30,160 Speaker 1: that the average PCs lifespan is somewhere between three and 205 00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:34,680 Speaker 1: five years. That typically sometime around three to five years, 206 00:12:34,679 --> 00:12:39,160 Speaker 1: averaging out around four years. People need to upgrade their 207 00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:42,120 Speaker 1: computers because they're just out of date. They're not running 208 00:12:42,160 --> 00:12:46,080 Speaker 1: the latest software. Of the parts start to wear out, 209 00:12:46,440 --> 00:12:50,520 Speaker 1: you know, batteries start to go bad. So then you 210 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:52,840 Speaker 1: have to do the same thing with your computer. What 211 00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:55,040 Speaker 1: do you do with that? That's a larger piece of 212 00:12:55,040 --> 00:12:58,520 Speaker 1: equipment than a mobile handset. Obviously, TVs tend to stick 213 00:12:58,520 --> 00:13:01,320 Speaker 1: around a little bit longer, despite the best efforts of 214 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:03,800 Speaker 1: various companies out there. Because every time I go to 215 00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:07,079 Speaker 1: c e S that's the big consumer electronics show in 216 00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:09,760 Speaker 1: Las Vegas every year, it seems like the big push 217 00:13:09,880 --> 00:13:11,719 Speaker 1: is to come up with a new feature that's going 218 00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:14,680 Speaker 1: to convince someone who bought a new television last year 219 00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:17,720 Speaker 1: to do it all over again. But generally speaking, people 220 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:21,360 Speaker 1: don't do that because it's pretty expensive. People tend to 221 00:13:21,360 --> 00:13:24,079 Speaker 1: stick with the same television for un average around seven 222 00:13:24,160 --> 00:13:28,839 Speaker 1: years before upgrading. I think I'm behind the average there. 223 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:32,720 Speaker 1: I don't even I stick with my televisions forever, it seems, 224 00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:36,360 Speaker 1: but you don't see that happen as frequently. But that 225 00:13:36,480 --> 00:13:39,160 Speaker 1: still is an issue if you do upgrade. Let's say 226 00:13:39,160 --> 00:13:42,200 Speaker 1: that Thanksgiving roles around in the States. That's typically when 227 00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:46,880 Speaker 1: you start seeing these big uh discounts on televisions that 228 00:13:46,920 --> 00:13:50,240 Speaker 1: came out the year before and stores want to clear 229 00:13:50,280 --> 00:13:53,440 Speaker 1: out those inventories to make way for new TVs they're 230 00:13:53,480 --> 00:13:56,360 Speaker 1: coming in in the new year. Uh. You can get 231 00:13:56,400 --> 00:13:59,120 Speaker 1: these crazy deals on what looks to be like a 232 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:01,320 Speaker 1: great bar in for a television, but that means you 233 00:14:01,320 --> 00:14:04,480 Speaker 1: have to do something with your old TV. Again electronic waste, 234 00:14:04,840 --> 00:14:07,080 Speaker 1: and there are larger appliances that we tend to stick 235 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:10,480 Speaker 1: with until we need to replace them. Right Like, not 236 00:14:10,559 --> 00:14:12,400 Speaker 1: a lot of people sit there and say I want 237 00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:14,839 Speaker 1: a new washer and dryer unless their old washer and 238 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:18,280 Speaker 1: dryer is either become unreliable or has just plane broken. 239 00:14:18,880 --> 00:14:21,400 Speaker 1: But eventually we do have to replace these things. So 240 00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:25,040 Speaker 1: pretty much anything that has circuitry or electrical components fits 241 00:14:25,040 --> 00:14:28,080 Speaker 1: into the category of e waste, from lamps to washing 242 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:32,200 Speaker 1: machines or smart watches to large screen televisions, and electronic 243 00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:35,800 Speaker 1: waste is one of the fastest growing types of waste 244 00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:38,920 Speaker 1: in the world. As we see technology adoption increase in 245 00:14:38,960 --> 00:14:42,920 Speaker 1: new markets like Africa, we're seeing those numbers climb rapidly. 246 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:46,880 Speaker 1: Now developed countries do tend to produce a lot more 247 00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:50,320 Speaker 1: E waste. As a rule, China is known for producing 248 00:14:50,920 --> 00:14:53,120 Speaker 1: most of it, and if you're looking at it from 249 00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:56,400 Speaker 1: a percentage point and looking at each nation, China leads 250 00:14:56,400 --> 00:14:59,600 Speaker 1: the way, but America is not super far behind. When 251 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:02,440 Speaker 1: it comes the highest amount of E waste generated per inhabitant. 252 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:07,120 Speaker 1: You gotta look over toward Australia, Polynesia, Micronesia and that area. 253 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:12,160 Speaker 1: They generate the most E waste per inhabitant, but there 254 00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:14,800 Speaker 1: are very few people they're compared to other parts of 255 00:15:14,800 --> 00:15:16,840 Speaker 1: the world, so it doesn't amount to as much in 256 00:15:16,880 --> 00:15:21,080 Speaker 1: a grand scheme of things. The cost of consumer electronics 257 00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:25,000 Speaker 1: also continues to drop. That makes electronics more accessible to 258 00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:27,280 Speaker 1: a wider group of people, and I think that's a 259 00:15:27,280 --> 00:15:29,760 Speaker 1: good thing. I think have more people having access to 260 00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:34,200 Speaker 1: technology is great. In general. It's very important accessibility, making 261 00:15:34,240 --> 00:15:38,280 Speaker 1: sure that we start to whittle away at that gap 262 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:41,560 Speaker 1: between the halves and the have nots. However, when you 263 00:15:41,640 --> 00:15:44,240 Speaker 1: pair this with the trend of pushing people to adopt 264 00:15:44,280 --> 00:15:47,400 Speaker 1: and then abandoned technology rapidly in favor of the next 265 00:15:47,480 --> 00:15:50,640 Speaker 1: new thing, it really exacerbates the problem of E waste. 266 00:15:51,080 --> 00:15:55,200 Speaker 1: In the United Nations released a report on e waste 267 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:57,960 Speaker 1: that looked into trends and challenges, and that report found 268 00:15:58,280 --> 00:16:02,000 Speaker 1: that by the lobal production of E waste had hit 269 00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:06,360 Speaker 1: forty four point seven million metric tons of junct tech. 270 00:16:07,080 --> 00:16:11,560 Speaker 1: That's the equivalent of four thousand, five hundred Eiffel towers. 271 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:15,240 Speaker 1: That means, on average, each inhabitant produced six point one 272 00:16:15,400 --> 00:16:18,920 Speaker 1: ks or nearly thirteen and a half pounds of electronic waste. 273 00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:22,760 Speaker 1: In twenty sixteen, it was more like five point eight 274 00:16:22,840 --> 00:16:25,800 Speaker 1: kilograms or twelve point eight pounds, so the trend was 275 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:28,080 Speaker 1: on the rise. Not only are we generating more, we're 276 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:33,720 Speaker 1: generating more per person. Only of all of that e 277 00:16:33,960 --> 00:16:39,000 Speaker 1: waste was properly documented as being recycled or reused under 278 00:16:39,480 --> 00:16:42,640 Speaker 1: was considered to be the the appropriate guidelines. So, according 279 00:16:42,680 --> 00:16:45,600 Speaker 1: to the United Nations, of the forty four point seven 280 00:16:45,800 --> 00:16:48,880 Speaker 1: million metric tons of e waste produced by twenty sixteen, 281 00:16:49,320 --> 00:16:51,880 Speaker 1: one point seven million tons of it got thrown into 282 00:16:51,920 --> 00:16:55,760 Speaker 1: residual waste in higher income countries, which pretty much means 283 00:16:56,000 --> 00:17:00,240 Speaker 1: they either ended up in landfills or in incinerators. Only 284 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:03,520 Speaker 1: eight point nine million tons was documented as collected and recycled, 285 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:06,719 Speaker 1: so it's possible the more waste is being recycled than 286 00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:12,000 Speaker 1: we know about, but it's undocumented and unverified, which ain't great, 287 00:17:13,119 --> 00:17:15,439 Speaker 1: and since the trend seems to be on the rise, 288 00:17:15,840 --> 00:17:18,399 Speaker 1: this is really bad news. Now again, according to the 289 00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:20,960 Speaker 1: u N report, by twenty twenty one will see E 290 00:17:21,080 --> 00:17:25,640 Speaker 1: waste hit fifty two point two million metric tons. I'm 291 00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:28,640 Speaker 1: citing the United Nations a lot, but I should also 292 00:17:28,680 --> 00:17:31,719 Speaker 1: point out that it's very, very difficult to get an 293 00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:36,240 Speaker 1: accurate representation of exactly how big this problem is because 294 00:17:36,240 --> 00:17:40,200 Speaker 1: a lot of countries do not collect or publish statistics 295 00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:43,600 Speaker 1: about electronic waste, and in some cases you may not 296 00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:48,040 Speaker 1: be entirely certain that the findings that are being reported 297 00:17:48,080 --> 00:17:50,840 Speaker 1: are accurate. So some of the numbers that the UN 298 00:17:50,840 --> 00:17:53,960 Speaker 1: relies upon come from estimates as a result of doing 299 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:57,600 Speaker 1: some investigation and then extrapolating those results to get a 300 00:17:57,600 --> 00:17:59,600 Speaker 1: bigger picture of view of what might be going on. 301 00:18:00,119 --> 00:18:02,359 Speaker 1: And there are a lot of advocacy groups out there 302 00:18:02,680 --> 00:18:05,560 Speaker 1: that really want to tackle E waste, and that is 303 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:09,240 Speaker 1: a good thing. I don't disagree with their motivation. However, 304 00:18:09,800 --> 00:18:13,600 Speaker 1: I will say that sometimes some of these groups tend 305 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:17,080 Speaker 1: to present numbers that I personally cannot track down to 306 00:18:17,119 --> 00:18:22,359 Speaker 1: a verifiable source, that is less good. I definitely agree 307 00:18:22,440 --> 00:18:25,760 Speaker 1: we need to acknowledge and tackle the e waste problem 308 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:30,159 Speaker 1: in a responsible way. However, presenting information as fact without 309 00:18:30,160 --> 00:18:33,040 Speaker 1: any evidence to back it up is a really good 310 00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:36,399 Speaker 1: way to allow people who oppose your philosophy a means 311 00:18:36,440 --> 00:18:39,399 Speaker 1: of criticizing your methods. So, in other words, you're just 312 00:18:39,520 --> 00:18:42,320 Speaker 1: opening up the door for someone to tear down your argument, 313 00:18:42,640 --> 00:18:46,280 Speaker 1: because if they can say this number you're citing as 314 00:18:46,320 --> 00:18:49,920 Speaker 1: fact has no evidence to back it up, then it's 315 00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:53,080 Speaker 1: like they're saying, well, you're arguing that something is a problem, 316 00:18:53,119 --> 00:18:55,400 Speaker 1: but you can't even prove to me that the problem exists. 317 00:18:56,359 --> 00:19:01,040 Speaker 1: That's not great. Many developed nations do have various programs 318 00:19:01,080 --> 00:19:03,439 Speaker 1: in place to deal with electronic waste, things that you 319 00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:06,960 Speaker 1: are supposed to do if you are trying to get 320 00:19:07,080 --> 00:19:12,439 Speaker 1: rid of old electronics. However, these various programs aren't always 321 00:19:12,480 --> 00:19:16,000 Speaker 1: followed properly, and in fact, some practices that are commonplace 322 00:19:16,040 --> 00:19:20,720 Speaker 1: in these countries are technically illegal. However, they are rarely enforced, 323 00:19:21,520 --> 00:19:24,520 Speaker 1: so you might see people throw stuff out in the 324 00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:27,600 Speaker 1: garbage when they're supposed to follow a very different protocol, 325 00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:31,240 Speaker 1: but because there's not really any way of policing that, 326 00:19:31,640 --> 00:19:34,440 Speaker 1: and even if there were, there's not a high likelihood 327 00:19:34,440 --> 00:19:38,040 Speaker 1: of it being prosecuted. There's no teeth to any legislation. 328 00:19:38,280 --> 00:19:41,840 Speaker 1: People have to do it because they want to be responsible, 329 00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:46,920 Speaker 1: not because they're worried about being punished otherwise. So appealing 330 00:19:46,960 --> 00:19:50,040 Speaker 1: to people's responsibility, to their to their desire to be 331 00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:54,400 Speaker 1: a good person might be more helpful. Just because it's 332 00:19:54,400 --> 00:19:57,639 Speaker 1: not very practical in most cases to come up with 333 00:19:57,720 --> 00:20:02,880 Speaker 1: pollution police developing nation have it fairly rough. Uh. These 334 00:20:02,920 --> 00:20:09,800 Speaker 1: are the countries that did not benefit from gradually developing 335 00:20:09,840 --> 00:20:13,320 Speaker 1: this technology and building out an infrastructure to support it. Instead, 336 00:20:13,320 --> 00:20:16,960 Speaker 1: they leap frogged into the modern era of electronics without 337 00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:19,880 Speaker 1: having done that, and so they aren't able to deal 338 00:20:19,920 --> 00:20:23,800 Speaker 1: with the consequences as readily as the rest of the world, 339 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:26,760 Speaker 1: which has kind of grown into this. So I'm talking 340 00:20:26,760 --> 00:20:30,199 Speaker 1: about places like lots of countries in Africa which have 341 00:20:31,119 --> 00:20:34,760 Speaker 1: thankfully gotten access to things like cell towers, cell phones, 342 00:20:35,440 --> 00:20:39,880 Speaker 1: a lot of cellular based technologies, but they did this 343 00:20:40,080 --> 00:20:45,080 Speaker 1: by leap frogging other developments, and they don't have the 344 00:20:45,160 --> 00:20:48,960 Speaker 1: systems in place to handle e waste. And it's also 345 00:20:49,320 --> 00:20:52,640 Speaker 1: true and unfortunate that the people who are at least 346 00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:56,119 Speaker 1: able to afford the problems that come along with electronic 347 00:20:56,160 --> 00:20:58,959 Speaker 1: waste are the same ones who have to deal with it. 348 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:03,040 Speaker 1: In many cases, there's also an issue with developing countries 349 00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:09,000 Speaker 1: accepting e waste for recycling purposes. Essentially, you've got UH 350 00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:12,439 Speaker 1: places that will either accept or they will actually go 351 00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:16,199 Speaker 1: out and buy electronic waste from other countries, which is 352 00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:20,160 Speaker 1: not necessarily a bad thing on the surface. Recycling can 353 00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:23,320 Speaker 1: be an industry unto itself, and it can provide a 354 00:21:23,440 --> 00:21:27,000 Speaker 1: valuable service while recapturing some of the raw materials that 355 00:21:27,040 --> 00:21:30,320 Speaker 1: were used to make electronics. The u N actually reported 356 00:21:30,359 --> 00:21:33,360 Speaker 1: that those raw materials were worth about fifty five billion 357 00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:37,560 Speaker 1: euro in UH in twenty sixteen. The euro averaged out 358 00:21:37,600 --> 00:21:40,280 Speaker 1: to be about one point one dollars per euro, so 359 00:21:40,359 --> 00:21:42,440 Speaker 1: that would be that the raw materials were worth around 360 00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:46,000 Speaker 1: sixty billion dollars. So it would definitely be better too 361 00:21:46,800 --> 00:21:49,960 Speaker 1: to reclaim some of that value to leverage it rather 362 00:21:50,040 --> 00:21:52,400 Speaker 1: than just throw it out if you can do that. 363 00:21:53,200 --> 00:21:55,720 Speaker 1: UH and I talked about some of the harmful materials 364 00:21:55,760 --> 00:21:58,000 Speaker 1: that are in electronics, but they can also contain some 365 00:21:58,040 --> 00:22:01,359 Speaker 1: really valuable stuff In it like goal to copper alumium 366 00:22:01,400 --> 00:22:04,639 Speaker 1: and steal. But the bad part comes into play with 367 00:22:04,800 --> 00:22:09,560 Speaker 1: the practices and processes for recycling electronics. If there are 368 00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:13,040 Speaker 1: a few protections in place and a recycling center is 369 00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:16,760 Speaker 1: not following careful protocols, the process of recycling can be 370 00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:20,639 Speaker 1: very harmful to the environment as well as really the 371 00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:23,199 Speaker 1: people who are working at that facility and for the 372 00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:27,040 Speaker 1: surrounding population as a as a possibility. A lot of 373 00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:31,960 Speaker 1: these places, the reason why they are an attractive place 374 00:22:31,960 --> 00:22:34,159 Speaker 1: to send recycling for the rest of the world is 375 00:22:34,160 --> 00:22:37,520 Speaker 1: that it's inexpensive to do it um And part of 376 00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:39,399 Speaker 1: the reason for that is because in a lot of 377 00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:42,840 Speaker 1: these countries the cost of labor is low, meaning they're 378 00:22:42,840 --> 00:22:47,639 Speaker 1: not paying people very much. And uh that becomes a 379 00:22:47,680 --> 00:22:51,600 Speaker 1: delicate balance too, because if the amount you're spending to 380 00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:55,320 Speaker 1: recycle is larger than the amount you're getting back, you're 381 00:22:55,359 --> 00:22:59,680 Speaker 1: in a losing proposition. So you can't continue to operate 382 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:03,000 Speaker 1: that way. But in order for you to do this 383 00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:06,080 Speaker 1: in an efficient way, you have to find out, you know, 384 00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:09,719 Speaker 1: what's a what's a low cost method of recycling this stuff? 385 00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:12,720 Speaker 1: And it tends to be sending it to very poor 386 00:23:12,840 --> 00:23:19,879 Speaker 1: nations that very low wages and often do not treat 387 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:24,080 Speaker 1: their employees very well. There's a terrible standard of living, 388 00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:27,359 Speaker 1: and the measures that are supposed to be there in 389 00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:30,200 Speaker 1: order to ensure people's safety may not be there at all, 390 00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:35,600 Speaker 1: so it's very worrisome. Typically, the way a recycling center 391 00:23:35,760 --> 00:23:41,240 Speaker 1: would process electronic waste would follow a pattern. So first 392 00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:44,760 Speaker 1: it would have to get this electronic waste, which is 393 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:49,840 Speaker 1: a non trivial problem. Transporting materials requires energy, um it 394 00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:52,239 Speaker 1: has an economic impact. So if it takes a lot 395 00:23:52,280 --> 00:23:54,199 Speaker 1: of energy, if it takes a lot of money to 396 00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:57,160 Speaker 1: get the electronic waste to the recycling center, you could 397 00:23:57,160 --> 00:23:59,879 Speaker 1: be operating in a loss, which means it's a nonstarter 398 00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:03,119 Speaker 1: once you get it. The next step could be an 399 00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:07,320 Speaker 1: assessment of each piece of electronic waste, because some of 400 00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:09,960 Speaker 1: these devices could be in good working order. Then if 401 00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:13,119 Speaker 1: it's operable, or if you can do repairs on it 402 00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:16,280 Speaker 1: and make it operable, you might want to resell that 403 00:24:16,359 --> 00:24:19,720 Speaker 1: device for a profit and keep it in use. And 404 00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:22,480 Speaker 1: that's one of the best options out there, honestly, because 405 00:24:22,520 --> 00:24:25,480 Speaker 1: it increases the utility of a device beyond its initial 406 00:24:25,520 --> 00:24:29,359 Speaker 1: lifespan with its original owner, and you don't have to 407 00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:31,360 Speaker 1: go through the rest of this process. People can still 408 00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:33,960 Speaker 1: get use out of it. It removes the necessity to 409 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:38,720 Speaker 1: make a new one of those, so it is reusing 410 00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:41,960 Speaker 1: is one of the best options. In fact, reusing in general, 411 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:44,800 Speaker 1: when you're looking at reusing versus recycling, tends to be 412 00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:48,680 Speaker 1: one of the best options out there. However, it can 413 00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:52,760 Speaker 1: be tricky to do because sometimes it's not the easiest 414 00:24:52,760 --> 00:24:55,240 Speaker 1: thing to repair some of these gadgets. More in that 415 00:24:55,280 --> 00:24:57,960 Speaker 1: in just a second. But if you can do it, 416 00:24:58,720 --> 00:25:01,119 Speaker 1: that tends to be step one. Sort out all the 417 00:25:01,160 --> 00:25:07,520 Speaker 1: stuff that could actually be reclaimed, reused, resold. Next, assuming 418 00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:11,320 Speaker 1: we're going to then reclaim the stuff inside the electronics 419 00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:16,160 Speaker 1: that you cannot sell again. Maybe they're irreparably broken, maybe 420 00:25:16,160 --> 00:25:20,720 Speaker 1: they're obsolete. Maybe there's no demand for those electronics, so 421 00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:23,399 Speaker 1: they might work, but you're never going to sell them anyway, 422 00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:26,920 Speaker 1: but just because no one wants them. Then you want 423 00:25:26,960 --> 00:25:29,960 Speaker 1: to disassemble the device to get at the various components 424 00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:33,960 Speaker 1: inside of it, especially the components that were really interested in, 425 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:36,760 Speaker 1: the ones that have materials like gold or copper on them. 426 00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:39,399 Speaker 1: But that's not always easy to do, and this is 427 00:25:39,440 --> 00:25:42,919 Speaker 1: also why it's very difficult to repair some types of electronics. 428 00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:46,600 Speaker 1: More and more electronic devices are being locked away in 429 00:25:46,640 --> 00:25:50,040 Speaker 1: their form factors. Like in the old days, good old days, 430 00:25:50,119 --> 00:25:52,639 Speaker 1: children sit down, used to be able to take electronics 431 00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:55,080 Speaker 1: apart and mess with them. So you hear a lot 432 00:25:55,080 --> 00:25:58,240 Speaker 1: of stories about how young engineers when they were kids 433 00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:01,240 Speaker 1: would take apart very gadgets in order to learn how 434 00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:03,640 Speaker 1: they worked, and then would put them back together again 435 00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:06,560 Speaker 1: and they would work. Still these days, it's a lot 436 00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:08,640 Speaker 1: harder to do that because a lot of electronics are 437 00:26:08,640 --> 00:26:12,320 Speaker 1: not designed to be taken apart. The industry as a 438 00:26:12,320 --> 00:26:15,479 Speaker 1: whole has moved to a model that's difficult to do that. 439 00:26:15,560 --> 00:26:20,040 Speaker 1: Apple is notorious for this. You get a new iPhone 440 00:26:20,200 --> 00:26:22,119 Speaker 1: that is not meant to be taken apart. You are 441 00:26:22,119 --> 00:26:24,399 Speaker 1: not meant to take the battery out of that. It 442 00:26:24,520 --> 00:26:29,200 Speaker 1: is meant to be a single, unified device for its 443 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:32,440 Speaker 1: useful life. The company this way can keep a really 444 00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:35,159 Speaker 1: tight control on how its technology is used. They have 445 00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:37,439 Speaker 1: a lot of control over it as a platform. But 446 00:26:37,520 --> 00:26:41,000 Speaker 1: this comes at a price. Manufacturers tend to use a 447 00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:43,560 Speaker 1: lot of glue these days. That makes it really tricky 448 00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:46,399 Speaker 1: to take the stuff apart, and it just makes it 449 00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:48,800 Speaker 1: hard not just to do repairs, but to get at 450 00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:51,840 Speaker 1: the various components in order to do some recycling. Now, 451 00:26:51,840 --> 00:26:55,040 Speaker 1: if the device has parts that are particularly valuable, those 452 00:26:55,119 --> 00:26:58,159 Speaker 1: might be set aside for resale value. Now this is 453 00:26:58,160 --> 00:27:00,719 Speaker 1: particularly true for like older television and things like that. 454 00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:03,440 Speaker 1: You might find that there's some working components in there 455 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:06,760 Speaker 1: that you can take apart or take out of the 456 00:27:06,800 --> 00:27:12,240 Speaker 1: device and then sell those as replacement parts or repair parts, 457 00:27:12,359 --> 00:27:14,959 Speaker 1: and then just recycled the rest of the stuff. Now, 458 00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:18,520 Speaker 1: once you've disassembled the tech and you've removed anything that 459 00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:21,840 Speaker 1: can easily be resold, then you would put it through 460 00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:27,960 Speaker 1: a shredder to grind the components down into smaller pieces. Typically, 461 00:27:28,080 --> 00:27:30,840 Speaker 1: after that point you would have some human employees go 462 00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:33,840 Speaker 1: through this shredded material and remove anything that might be 463 00:27:33,920 --> 00:27:38,960 Speaker 1: overtly hazardous, like pieces of battery, and then everything that's 464 00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:42,480 Speaker 1: left over after you remove the hazardous stuff gets shredded 465 00:27:42,520 --> 00:27:46,040 Speaker 1: again into even smaller pieces. Then you need to separate 466 00:27:46,080 --> 00:27:49,200 Speaker 1: out those pieces into different stuff. One way you might 467 00:27:49,240 --> 00:27:52,119 Speaker 1: do this is using a really big magnet and pass 468 00:27:52,200 --> 00:27:56,400 Speaker 1: it over the shredded material. Anything that's uh this ferrist 469 00:27:56,440 --> 00:27:59,480 Speaker 1: is going to be attracted to the magnet and we'll 470 00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:01,920 Speaker 1: get pulled up by it, and you can then separate 471 00:28:01,960 --> 00:28:05,719 Speaker 1: that out. Uh. You might otherwise need to use various 472 00:28:06,359 --> 00:28:10,760 Speaker 1: methodologies to sort the particles into different densities which will 473 00:28:10,760 --> 00:28:15,000 Speaker 1: represent different materials, and thus you get different piles of stuff. Um, 474 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:18,600 Speaker 1: there's a lot of things like centrifuges or platforms that 475 00:28:18,720 --> 00:28:21,760 Speaker 1: shake a lot to help sort the stuff out, and 476 00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:24,080 Speaker 1: you do this over and over again until you've got 477 00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:28,000 Speaker 1: your various piles and stuff that has like precious metals 478 00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:32,680 Speaker 1: might end up being uh exposed to an acid bath 479 00:28:33,200 --> 00:28:36,240 Speaker 1: to burn away anything that isn't that metal, and then 480 00:28:36,960 --> 00:28:40,480 Speaker 1: the pieces of metal can be gathered together and then 481 00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:45,160 Speaker 1: eventually smelted into ingots. Glass and plastics can be separated 482 00:28:45,240 --> 00:28:49,120 Speaker 1: for reprocessing. And then you have done everything you could 483 00:28:49,120 --> 00:28:51,360 Speaker 1: to reclaim as much as you could from those devices. 484 00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:55,120 Speaker 1: And if you've done it carefully and responsibly, you've done 485 00:28:55,160 --> 00:29:01,440 Speaker 1: it without releasing toxic fumes or toxic materials into the 486 00:29:01,560 --> 00:29:06,840 Speaker 1: environment or harming your employees. That's easier said than done. 487 00:29:07,240 --> 00:29:09,920 Speaker 1: It is a challenging thing. It is possible you can 488 00:29:09,960 --> 00:29:15,760 Speaker 1: do recycling responsibly, but it requires a lot of careful 489 00:29:15,800 --> 00:29:19,920 Speaker 1: work and governance. I have more to say about electronic waste, 490 00:29:20,160 --> 00:29:22,160 Speaker 1: but before I get to it, let's take another quick 491 00:29:22,200 --> 00:29:33,880 Speaker 1: break to thank our sponsor. So on October eighteen, which 492 00:29:33,920 --> 00:29:36,440 Speaker 1: was just a few days before I jumped into the 493 00:29:36,440 --> 00:29:39,640 Speaker 1: studio to record this episode, the world had its very 494 00:29:39,720 --> 00:29:43,760 Speaker 1: first International E Waste Day. The goal there was not 495 00:29:43,800 --> 00:29:47,080 Speaker 1: to generate more electronic waste, but rather to raise awareness 496 00:29:47,280 --> 00:29:52,360 Speaker 1: of proper recycling and reuse programs for electronics, raising awareness 497 00:29:52,480 --> 00:29:56,040 Speaker 1: over the illegal selling of e waste two countries that 498 00:29:56,120 --> 00:29:59,360 Speaker 1: are buying it for processing and also for data mining. 499 00:29:59,360 --> 00:30:02,160 Speaker 1: That's something that you should keep in mind that some 500 00:30:02,320 --> 00:30:06,080 Speaker 1: of these companies that are offering to take electronics off 501 00:30:06,120 --> 00:30:09,640 Speaker 1: your hands might actually be going through them very carefully 502 00:30:09,680 --> 00:30:12,200 Speaker 1: to see if there's any data they can they can 503 00:30:12,200 --> 00:30:15,200 Speaker 1: get from it, any personal data, any like logins, that 504 00:30:15,240 --> 00:30:18,320 Speaker 1: kind of stuff. This actually does happen, and it happens 505 00:30:18,320 --> 00:30:22,440 Speaker 1: on a pretty big basis, And because these companies will 506 00:30:22,480 --> 00:30:25,640 Speaker 1: often send all this electronic waste to some other country 507 00:30:25,640 --> 00:30:28,720 Speaker 1: that's outside the jurisdiction of whatever country you live in. 508 00:30:29,040 --> 00:30:31,200 Speaker 1: I'm talking about the United States in particular because that's 509 00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:33,520 Speaker 1: where I live, but it happens all over the world. 510 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:36,640 Speaker 1: That's a dangerous thing, and then they'll sell that data 511 00:30:36,920 --> 00:30:41,680 Speaker 1: to interested buyers UM often wholesale. They'll just sell huge 512 00:30:41,720 --> 00:30:44,120 Speaker 1: amounts of data at a time. That's one way of 513 00:30:44,160 --> 00:30:48,240 Speaker 1: doing it. So it's very important to look at various 514 00:30:48,440 --> 00:30:54,840 Speaker 1: UH resources online in order to get an idea of 515 00:30:54,880 --> 00:30:59,000 Speaker 1: the reputation of the various services that are available out 516 00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:02,960 Speaker 1: there for you to use for recycling or reusing. UM 517 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:09,200 Speaker 1: recycling can be economically difficult to support unless you're talking 518 00:31:09,240 --> 00:31:11,960 Speaker 1: about markets that have those very low costs of labor, 519 00:31:12,040 --> 00:31:14,560 Speaker 1: like I said before, the low salaries with no benefits, 520 00:31:14,600 --> 00:31:17,440 Speaker 1: bad working conditions, that kind of thing. So it is 521 00:31:17,440 --> 00:31:23,720 Speaker 1: a very tricky subject without it being more profitable than 522 00:31:24,440 --> 00:31:27,160 Speaker 1: the only people who are willing to do it are 523 00:31:27,200 --> 00:31:29,760 Speaker 1: going to be the ones who aren't having to spend 524 00:31:29,800 --> 00:31:31,800 Speaker 1: so much money to go through the process in the 525 00:31:31,800 --> 00:31:36,960 Speaker 1: first place. So finding a reputable service that will recycle 526 00:31:37,040 --> 00:31:42,040 Speaker 1: electronics in a way that is responsible, it's not exploitative 527 00:31:42,200 --> 00:31:46,880 Speaker 1: of its workforce, it's not exposing the environment needlessly to 528 00:31:47,080 --> 00:31:51,120 Speaker 1: these dangerous materials that are in electronics, that's doing its 529 00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:55,640 Speaker 1: due diligence is a bit of a challenge. They do exist, 530 00:31:56,200 --> 00:31:59,160 Speaker 1: so it is important and there are many of them, 531 00:31:59,160 --> 00:32:01,360 Speaker 1: and they're all over the world, so going into specific 532 00:32:01,400 --> 00:32:06,040 Speaker 1: ones it's kind of difficult. Sometimes they're hyperlocal organizations that 533 00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:09,320 Speaker 1: are really looking for as much reuse and re saling 534 00:32:09,480 --> 00:32:14,160 Speaker 1: ability as possible. Um But there are some other alternatives 535 00:32:14,160 --> 00:32:20,000 Speaker 1: to this approach, things that couldn't you can't just do 536 00:32:20,080 --> 00:32:23,000 Speaker 1: with any electronics, but things that might happen in the future. So, 537 00:32:23,040 --> 00:32:27,280 Speaker 1: for example, there have been some proposals to make a 538 00:32:27,360 --> 00:32:32,720 Speaker 1: new type of electronics that are dissolvable, in other words, 539 00:32:32,880 --> 00:32:38,760 Speaker 1: electronics that will actually over time degrade into harmless materials. 540 00:32:39,480 --> 00:32:42,520 Speaker 1: And the first application that was thought of for this 541 00:32:42,600 --> 00:32:45,120 Speaker 1: kind of stuff was perhaps for medical devices, so like 542 00:32:45,160 --> 00:32:47,360 Speaker 1: a temporary medical device that you might have to have 543 00:32:47,440 --> 00:32:51,680 Speaker 1: surgically implanted. But if it's a device that could over 544 00:32:51,800 --> 00:32:55,960 Speaker 1: time degrade harmlessly and get absorbed by the body or 545 00:32:56,320 --> 00:33:01,440 Speaker 1: excreted in some way, then you have eminated the necessity 546 00:33:01,440 --> 00:33:03,800 Speaker 1: for a follow up surgery, which is a good thing. 547 00:33:03,880 --> 00:33:05,880 Speaker 1: You know, you want to limit surgeries as much as 548 00:33:05,920 --> 00:33:08,880 Speaker 1: you can, because every time you have a surgery, that 549 00:33:08,960 --> 00:33:12,560 Speaker 1: opens up more risk for things like infection. So it's 550 00:33:12,560 --> 00:33:15,920 Speaker 1: an interesting idea, but you could also apply that same 551 00:33:15,960 --> 00:33:19,720 Speaker 1: principle to general electronics, not just medical devices. In fact, 552 00:33:19,880 --> 00:33:24,240 Speaker 1: one of the researchers who was looking into dissolvable electronics 553 00:33:24,640 --> 00:33:27,720 Speaker 1: had gone so far as to suggest that companies could 554 00:33:27,760 --> 00:33:31,880 Speaker 1: invest in this technology and then make electronics that really 555 00:33:31,920 --> 00:33:35,880 Speaker 1: do have an expiration date, Electronics that after a certain 556 00:33:35,880 --> 00:33:38,080 Speaker 1: amount of time, we're going to start to degrade, which 557 00:33:38,080 --> 00:33:42,600 Speaker 1: would necessitate you're going out and buying a replacement, which 558 00:33:42,640 --> 00:33:46,240 Speaker 1: sounds pretty awful from a consumer point of view. I 559 00:33:46,280 --> 00:33:48,920 Speaker 1: would hate the idea of I saved up money, I 560 00:33:48,960 --> 00:33:52,160 Speaker 1: got myself this nice smartphone, and then two years later 561 00:33:52,840 --> 00:33:56,280 Speaker 1: it literally will not work anymore, and I will need 562 00:33:56,320 --> 00:33:58,320 Speaker 1: to get a new smartphone because the one I have 563 00:33:58,480 --> 00:34:04,320 Speaker 1: is is decaying too various compounds, harmless compounds. Uh. That 564 00:34:04,400 --> 00:34:06,160 Speaker 1: might be great for the environment, it's not great for 565 00:34:06,200 --> 00:34:09,719 Speaker 1: my bank account, it's not great for my morale as 566 00:34:09,760 --> 00:34:13,560 Speaker 1: a consumer. And you could argue that companies are already 567 00:34:13,640 --> 00:34:17,280 Speaker 1: kind of doing this, only without the actual dissolving into 568 00:34:17,360 --> 00:34:21,880 Speaker 1: inorganic or or organic compounds. Part. Where you've got companies 569 00:34:21,920 --> 00:34:27,359 Speaker 1: that because they are constantly updating the operating systems of 570 00:34:27,400 --> 00:34:31,640 Speaker 1: the hardware that they are involved with, like Apple or 571 00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:36,600 Speaker 1: Google with Android, because they're constantly making those those updates. 572 00:34:37,160 --> 00:34:39,760 Speaker 1: They eventually get to a point where the older hardware 573 00:34:39,840 --> 00:34:44,080 Speaker 1: cannot support the latest version of the operating system. And 574 00:34:44,200 --> 00:34:47,000 Speaker 1: the longer you stick with your older device, the further 575 00:34:47,080 --> 00:34:50,400 Speaker 1: behind you get. So you find you may find that 576 00:34:50,440 --> 00:34:54,279 Speaker 1: you cannot install certain applications because you can't run the 577 00:34:54,560 --> 00:34:58,360 Speaker 1: relevant operating system on that hardware. Well, you could argue 578 00:34:58,360 --> 00:35:01,799 Speaker 1: that that's essentially the same thing designing a device that 579 00:35:01,960 --> 00:35:05,480 Speaker 1: is kind of in a self destruct mode where it's 580 00:35:05,480 --> 00:35:07,480 Speaker 1: going to fall apart after a certain amount of time. 581 00:35:08,080 --> 00:35:11,200 Speaker 1: It's just that in the case of the you know, 582 00:35:11,360 --> 00:35:14,680 Speaker 1: obsolescence through the operating system, it doesn't come with the 583 00:35:14,680 --> 00:35:17,880 Speaker 1: benefit of degrading into harmless materials. So it's kind of 584 00:35:17,880 --> 00:35:20,480 Speaker 1: the worst of all worlds. But still, I don't think 585 00:35:20,480 --> 00:35:21,839 Speaker 1: a lot of people are going to be calling for 586 00:35:22,360 --> 00:35:27,000 Speaker 1: dissolvable electronics. I also suspect that this researcher who was 587 00:35:27,040 --> 00:35:31,680 Speaker 1: suggesting that companies could invest in this technology so that 588 00:35:31,760 --> 00:35:36,279 Speaker 1: they could make you know, gadgets that become obsolete that 589 00:35:36,400 --> 00:35:40,520 Speaker 1: the literally break within a certain amount of time. I 590 00:35:40,840 --> 00:35:42,920 Speaker 1: suspect he was doing this in where to get funding 591 00:35:43,200 --> 00:35:46,040 Speaker 1: to continue his work, and not that he was arguing 592 00:35:46,080 --> 00:35:48,880 Speaker 1: that electronics need to break down after a certain amount 593 00:35:48,880 --> 00:35:51,720 Speaker 1: of time, but rather I need to continue my work 594 00:35:51,719 --> 00:35:54,680 Speaker 1: in creating this medical technology. I want to make. One 595 00:35:54,719 --> 00:35:57,120 Speaker 1: way I could do it is to convince big companies 596 00:35:57,160 --> 00:36:00,160 Speaker 1: to pour some money into it. That's my suspicion. I 597 00:36:00,239 --> 00:36:03,080 Speaker 1: don't know it for a fact, but there are also 598 00:36:03,400 --> 00:36:07,320 Speaker 1: other suggestions. One of my favorites is UH to create 599 00:36:07,360 --> 00:36:11,640 Speaker 1: incentives for companies to create buy back programs. In other words, 600 00:36:11,960 --> 00:36:16,280 Speaker 1: the companies that make the technology themselves will buy back 601 00:36:16,480 --> 00:36:22,160 Speaker 1: older versions incarnations of that technology. So let's say that 602 00:36:22,200 --> 00:36:25,200 Speaker 1: Apple creates a new iPhone, as it does every year, 603 00:36:25,960 --> 00:36:28,279 Speaker 1: but it also offers a buy back program where it 604 00:36:28,320 --> 00:36:33,719 Speaker 1: will buy your old iPhone for obviously a big markdown 605 00:36:33,960 --> 00:36:37,640 Speaker 1: because you've owned it for at least a year, maybe more, 606 00:36:38,640 --> 00:36:41,920 Speaker 1: and UH, it will take the iPhone off your hands. 607 00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:45,280 Speaker 1: And from there, maybe the company resells it at a profit, 608 00:36:46,120 --> 00:36:49,200 Speaker 1: or maybe they take it upon themselves to go through 609 00:36:49,239 --> 00:36:54,520 Speaker 1: the process of recycling those components in a way that's responsible. UH. 610 00:36:54,600 --> 00:36:58,680 Speaker 1: The way to really encourage this might be through tax 611 00:36:58,920 --> 00:37:03,560 Speaker 1: incentive program on a government level, where companies that participate 612 00:37:03,680 --> 00:37:07,560 Speaker 1: in such practices get nice tax breaks as a result, 613 00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:11,000 Speaker 1: anyone who has followed any of the major tech companies 614 00:37:11,120 --> 00:37:16,560 Speaker 1: knows those tech companies love their tax breaks. It's amazing 615 00:37:16,920 --> 00:37:21,080 Speaker 1: that a company can become like a trillion dollar company 616 00:37:21,120 --> 00:37:24,520 Speaker 1: and yet not owe any taxes. That's a discussion for 617 00:37:24,560 --> 00:37:29,319 Speaker 1: another time. It does not belong here. I'm just getting grouchy. 618 00:37:29,320 --> 00:37:34,719 Speaker 1: But those are some possible ways of approaching this problem 619 00:37:34,760 --> 00:37:40,440 Speaker 1: that don't go down the same path of uh, exploiting 620 00:37:40,480 --> 00:37:46,000 Speaker 1: people who are extremely vulnerable. Obviously, those people who are 621 00:37:46,160 --> 00:37:51,600 Speaker 1: gainfully employed through the recycling industry, even if they're being exploited, 622 00:37:51,800 --> 00:37:53,400 Speaker 1: it would be really nice if we could come up 623 00:37:53,440 --> 00:37:56,960 Speaker 1: with a an industry that they could work in where 624 00:37:56,960 --> 00:38:01,320 Speaker 1: they're not being treated so poorly. But uh, we gotta 625 00:38:01,560 --> 00:38:04,840 Speaker 1: we gotta start solving the problems where we can and 626 00:38:04,920 --> 00:38:08,759 Speaker 1: work our way to the bigger, bigger issues because they 627 00:38:08,760 --> 00:38:11,759 Speaker 1: are huge and there are no easy answers. Life is 628 00:38:11,800 --> 00:38:14,799 Speaker 1: a complicated thing. But I thought it was important to 629 00:38:15,400 --> 00:38:20,160 Speaker 1: really address this topic and to urge you that if 630 00:38:20,200 --> 00:38:22,719 Speaker 1: you have old electronic devices that you need to get 631 00:38:22,800 --> 00:38:27,759 Speaker 1: rid of, look into the various recycling or you know, 632 00:38:28,040 --> 00:38:32,440 Speaker 1: resale options that are available to you and give them 633 00:38:32,480 --> 00:38:35,640 Speaker 1: some serious consideration. Do a little bit more than just googling. 634 00:38:35,840 --> 00:38:38,400 Speaker 1: Look look into those services, make sure they have a 635 00:38:38,400 --> 00:38:42,200 Speaker 1: good reputation, and that way you can be a responsible 636 00:38:42,200 --> 00:38:46,000 Speaker 1: citizen of the of the world. You can avoid as 637 00:38:46,080 --> 00:38:50,360 Speaker 1: best you can contributing to pollution or to human misery. 638 00:38:50,560 --> 00:38:54,920 Speaker 1: And I think that's a pretty noble goal that we 639 00:38:54,960 --> 00:38:59,520 Speaker 1: can all kind of get behind. And uh, as I 640 00:38:59,560 --> 00:39:02,680 Speaker 1: said at the beginning, I still love technology. I just 641 00:39:02,760 --> 00:39:06,560 Speaker 1: have to again keep in mind both the positives and 642 00:39:06,640 --> 00:39:09,640 Speaker 1: the negatives. It's always important to look at the whole picture, 643 00:39:10,160 --> 00:39:13,239 Speaker 1: not turn a blind eye to stuff just because it's inconvenient. 644 00:39:14,280 --> 00:39:16,840 Speaker 1: I hope you enjoyed that classic episode of tech Stuff, 645 00:39:17,000 --> 00:39:21,560 Speaker 1: classic from three whole years ago. But yeah, it's it's 646 00:39:21,560 --> 00:39:25,279 Speaker 1: a challenge figuring out how to take care of e 647 00:39:25,520 --> 00:39:30,000 Speaker 1: waste in a way that actually is responsible. It takes 648 00:39:30,040 --> 00:39:32,799 Speaker 1: a little bit of homework. We are fortunate here in 649 00:39:32,840 --> 00:39:36,960 Speaker 1: Atlanta that there is a facility specifically designed to do that, 650 00:39:37,040 --> 00:39:39,640 Speaker 1: although of course in the era of the pandemic it 651 00:39:39,760 --> 00:39:43,240 Speaker 1: is much more challenging to make use of it. But yeah, 652 00:39:43,520 --> 00:39:46,560 Speaker 1: it's good to kind of do that legwork to make 653 00:39:46,600 --> 00:39:49,879 Speaker 1: sure that the way you are disposing of your tech 654 00:39:50,760 --> 00:39:55,440 Speaker 1: is the responsible and safe way to do it. Anyway, 655 00:39:55,560 --> 00:39:59,040 Speaker 1: I hope you and your loved ones are having happy 656 00:39:59,120 --> 00:40:03,560 Speaker 1: holidays and that you know we're able to prepare ourselves 657 00:40:03,600 --> 00:40:06,440 Speaker 1: for whatever two is going to throw at us, because 658 00:40:07,520 --> 00:40:11,759 Speaker 1: boy howdy, last couple of years have been pretty rough. 659 00:40:12,440 --> 00:40:14,680 Speaker 1: I have a feeling that at least is going to 660 00:40:14,800 --> 00:40:17,600 Speaker 1: start out that way. But I'm hoping you are all 661 00:40:17,640 --> 00:40:20,440 Speaker 1: healthy and happy, and I will talk to you again 662 00:40:21,200 --> 00:40:29,400 Speaker 1: really soon. Text Stuff is an I Heart Radio production. 663 00:40:29,640 --> 00:40:32,440 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the i 664 00:40:32,560 --> 00:40:35,799 Speaker 1: Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 665 00:40:35,840 --> 00:40:36,760 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.