WEBVTT - E-Waste and What To Do With It 0:00:04.120 --> 0:00:07.160 Get in touch with technology with tech Stuff from how 0:00:07.200 --> 0:00:13.680 stuff works dot com. Hey there, and welcome to tech Stuff. 0:00:13.680 --> 0:00:16.239 I'm your host, Jonathan's trick Land. I'm an executive producer 0:00:16.239 --> 0:00:19.040 with How Stuff Works, and I love all things tech. 0:00:19.880 --> 0:00:23.560 You know, I start off these podcasts saying I love 0:00:23.600 --> 0:00:25.560 all things tech, and you've heard a few where I 0:00:25.640 --> 0:00:29.720 have to walk that back. It is obviously an exaggeration. 0:00:30.040 --> 0:00:33.920 I don't love all things tech. I do enjoy learning 0:00:33.920 --> 0:00:37.480 about and talking about technology. But while I love tech, 0:00:38.159 --> 0:00:42.000 I also recognize that it has good points and bad points, right. 0:00:42.040 --> 0:00:44.480 I mean, it's like any tool. It could be used 0:00:44.520 --> 0:00:46.760 for good or for ill. It could be used responsibly 0:00:47.040 --> 0:00:51.680 or irresponsibly. I think it's important that we take a good, 0:00:51.800 --> 0:00:55.760 hard look at the potential negative impact of technology so 0:00:55.800 --> 0:00:58.080 that we can make the best use of it with 0:00:58.160 --> 0:01:02.120 the fewest negative consequences. So today we're going to talk 0:01:02.160 --> 0:01:05.440 about e waste or electronic waste, because it's a real 0:01:05.520 --> 0:01:09.640 problem for many reasons. One of the big ones is 0:01:09.680 --> 0:01:11.800 that we live in an era in which companies are 0:01:11.880 --> 0:01:15.320 really pushing out new products at a rapid pace and 0:01:15.360 --> 0:01:17.160 doing their best to convince you that you need to 0:01:17.200 --> 0:01:22.640 buy or upgrade or whatever on a frequent basis. That's 0:01:22.680 --> 0:01:24.959 how these companies make their money, so it comes as 0:01:25.000 --> 0:01:28.760 no surprise that they would do this. It's the nature 0:01:28.920 --> 0:01:32.160 of business, and that means a couple of things have 0:01:32.360 --> 0:01:36.560 to happen to make that business plan actually work. And 0:01:36.640 --> 0:01:39.240 one of those things is that ideally you make a 0:01:39.280 --> 0:01:42.880 product that's good, but not so good that your customers 0:01:42.880 --> 0:01:45.840 will never need another one after they buy the first one. 0:01:46.200 --> 0:01:49.720 It's the everlasting gob stopper problem of Willy Wonka. If 0:01:49.760 --> 0:01:52.840 you actually made a candy that never got any smaller 0:01:52.840 --> 0:01:55.800 and never lost its flavor, people would only buy one 0:01:55.920 --> 0:01:58.680 and would never need a second one. And where do 0:01:58.720 --> 0:02:02.080 you go then? So as another example in the tech world, 0:02:02.360 --> 0:02:05.880 let's let's imagine that you have created a really cool 0:02:06.200 --> 0:02:09.120 smart watch and it actually has features that people find 0:02:09.160 --> 0:02:13.040 really compelling. You made the first smart watch that a 0:02:13.040 --> 0:02:16.480 a larger audience thinks that actually makes a lot of sense. 0:02:16.680 --> 0:02:19.799 So your market is going to be everybody who might 0:02:19.919 --> 0:02:24.440 want and who can afford a smart watch. Now, obviously 0:02:24.760 --> 0:02:28.240 that doesn't include every single human being. Some people are 0:02:28.280 --> 0:02:30.519 not going to be able to afford it, some people 0:02:30.639 --> 0:02:33.560 are not going to be interested in it. But you're 0:02:33.560 --> 0:02:36.399 trying to target everyone who would want one and who 0:02:36.400 --> 0:02:40.880 could afford one. So now, let's say you are incredibly 0:02:41.120 --> 0:02:46.600 successful in an unprecedented move. Somehow you have convinced every 0:02:46.639 --> 0:02:50.040 single person that's in that target group to buy one 0:02:50.080 --> 0:02:53.240 of your smart watches. Congratulations, it's a big hit. Only 0:02:53.960 --> 0:02:56.840 what do you do next. Because you're operating a company, 0:02:57.160 --> 0:03:00.000 you are not going to magically sell more of those 0:03:00.040 --> 0:03:03.000 smart watches beyond your target group because the rest of 0:03:03.080 --> 0:03:06.839 humanity either doesn't want one, or they can't afford one, 0:03:07.000 --> 0:03:10.520 or both. So soon you go out of business because 0:03:10.520 --> 0:03:14.240 you have nothing else to sell. Or let's say instead, 0:03:15.000 --> 0:03:17.440 you want to make a smart watch, and you've come 0:03:17.480 --> 0:03:20.800 up with a whole list of really cool, compelling features, 0:03:20.800 --> 0:03:25.040 but you choose to only implement a selection of those 0:03:25.080 --> 0:03:27.600 features in your first smart watch. You hold back a 0:03:27.600 --> 0:03:30.200 few more. Maybe you're holding them back because they're not 0:03:30.280 --> 0:03:34.359 quite ready. Maybe you're holding back because the technology of 0:03:34.400 --> 0:03:36.280 the smart watch isn't quite at the point where it 0:03:36.320 --> 0:03:40.240 can support those features. Or maybe you're doing it just 0:03:40.320 --> 0:03:43.320 so that you can save some stuff for the next 0:03:43.480 --> 0:03:47.000 generation of smart watches. You also make your smart watches 0:03:47.040 --> 0:03:51.760 out of good but not great materials, including stuff like batteries. 0:03:52.640 --> 0:03:56.600 That way, the smart watches begin to wear out after 0:03:56.920 --> 0:03:58.960 a set amount of time, maybe a couple of years. 0:03:59.320 --> 0:04:01.640 And your goal is that you want to win a 0:04:01.720 --> 0:04:04.480 loyal base of customers, and then you want to convince 0:04:04.520 --> 0:04:07.320 that same group to turn around and buy the next 0:04:07.360 --> 0:04:11.720 generation of your hardware, and then do it again and again. 0:04:12.400 --> 0:04:15.080 That's essentially how a lot of the smartphone industry works, 0:04:15.320 --> 0:04:17.880 at least for brands like the iPhone. One of the 0:04:17.880 --> 0:04:21.279 reasons Apple is so successful is as a company, it 0:04:21.320 --> 0:04:24.760 has managed to convince customers to purchase updated versions of 0:04:24.800 --> 0:04:28.800 its hardware time and time again, sometimes on an accelerated 0:04:28.880 --> 0:04:32.720 time scale. It might not happen with every generation for 0:04:32.760 --> 0:04:36.480 every product, but it happens enough to keep the company 0:04:37.120 --> 0:04:40.200 really profitable. I'm sure you know people. If you are 0:04:40.240 --> 0:04:42.920 not one of these people, you probably know somebody who 0:04:43.040 --> 0:04:47.040 upgrades their iPhone every year, so they get the latest 0:04:47.120 --> 0:04:50.640 version of the iPhone every single twelve months. That's the 0:04:50.720 --> 0:04:54.279 kind of of era we are in. And while that 0:04:54.360 --> 0:04:58.360 doesn't cover every single Apple customer, it covers a lot 0:04:58.400 --> 0:05:00.640 of them. And there are a lot more customers who 0:05:00.680 --> 0:05:03.200 every two years or three years will do this upgrade. 0:05:04.440 --> 0:05:07.800 And while I could and probably one day will do 0:05:07.880 --> 0:05:11.760 a full episode about the concept of planned obsolescence. That's 0:05:11.800 --> 0:05:14.800 where a company makes a product that essentially has an 0:05:14.800 --> 0:05:19.120 expiration date that the company has made something with the 0:05:19.320 --> 0:05:22.400 plan of having that thing become obsolete within a certain 0:05:22.400 --> 0:05:25.360 amount of time. Today, we're gonna look at the other 0:05:25.400 --> 0:05:27.760 side of that problem. What do we do with the 0:05:27.839 --> 0:05:32.320 obsolete technology when something better comes along, Whether the technology 0:05:32.360 --> 0:05:35.359 still works or maybe it's beyond repair, what do we 0:05:35.480 --> 0:05:38.680 do with it when we're done with it. That's why 0:05:38.680 --> 0:05:40.760 we're going to talk about electronic waste. And it's a 0:05:40.839 --> 0:05:44.320 huge category because it includes not just the technology that 0:05:44.400 --> 0:05:48.760 no longer works or technology that's become obsolete. It includes 0:05:48.880 --> 0:05:53.680 all tech that is no longer wanted by its original owner. 0:05:54.120 --> 0:05:56.200 So you might have a phone that's several years old 0:05:56.440 --> 0:06:00.200 but still works perfectly well, but you'll be confronted with 0:06:00.279 --> 0:06:03.520 all sorts of advertising and messaging that what you should 0:06:03.560 --> 0:06:06.600 do is ditch that old phone for something new and 0:06:06.640 --> 0:06:09.320 shiny with a lot more features, and your old phone, 0:06:09.400 --> 0:06:12.080 even if it is still in perfect working order, becomes 0:06:12.080 --> 0:06:15.000 e waste the moment you decide you want a new phone. 0:06:15.200 --> 0:06:18.840 What happens next is up to you. You have some options. 0:06:18.920 --> 0:06:23.320 You might choose to recycle your phone, in which case 0:06:23.560 --> 0:06:28.480 I recommend first you wipe everything off your device, whether 0:06:28.480 --> 0:06:32.240 it's a phone, a computer, anything that could record your information. 0:06:32.720 --> 0:06:36.080 You need to wipe that device clean, return it to 0:06:36.200 --> 0:06:39.800 factory settings, make sure that your personal data is no 0:06:39.839 --> 0:06:42.840 longer associated with that machine before you turn it in. 0:06:43.279 --> 0:06:45.120 And I also recommend you do some research into the 0:06:45.160 --> 0:06:49.320 various services that offer to either recycle components for you, 0:06:49.480 --> 0:06:52.960 or they're going to donate the device to someone in need, 0:06:53.120 --> 0:06:56.320 so it's going to be reused rather than recycled. Make 0:06:56.360 --> 0:06:59.359 sure that that service is reputable. There are some companies 0:06:59.400 --> 0:07:03.360 that can cause arm through the recycling process or through 0:07:03.440 --> 0:07:07.720 the smoke screen of donating it to people in need. 0:07:07.880 --> 0:07:11.600 More on that in just a second. Or maybe you 0:07:11.680 --> 0:07:14.800 don't want to recycle or reuse, or maybe you just 0:07:14.840 --> 0:07:19.880 don't have the the services that are readily available, or 0:07:19.920 --> 0:07:22.240 you're not interested. You just shrug your shoulders and you 0:07:22.320 --> 0:07:25.160 toss your phone in the trash. That is not a 0:07:25.200 --> 0:07:28.600 great plan and it can be against the law depending 0:07:28.640 --> 0:07:31.960 upon where you live. Many electronics have components in them 0:07:32.080 --> 0:07:36.880 that are not environmentally friendly, and they don't exactly biodegrade. 0:07:37.400 --> 0:07:40.360 Electronics might have toxic materials in them. In fact, most 0:07:40.400 --> 0:07:43.360 of them do, stuff like lead, or arsenic or mercury. 0:07:43.720 --> 0:07:47.080 Exposure to the elements would cause those chemicals possibly to 0:07:47.200 --> 0:07:50.520 leach into the surrounding environment and it ain't fantastic. So 0:07:50.600 --> 0:07:52.600 here's some examples of some of the stuff. So lead 0:07:52.640 --> 0:07:58.200 toxicity can affect every organ system in our bodies. Lead 0:07:58.280 --> 0:08:01.640 can inhibit or mimic the act of calcium and interact 0:08:01.680 --> 0:08:05.640 with proteins. The nervous system is particularly vulnerable and lead 0:08:05.640 --> 0:08:10.800 exposure can cause neurological damage, particularly in children. Mercury is 0:08:10.840 --> 0:08:14.320 also nasty stuff. It's toxic to the nervous system. It's 0:08:14.360 --> 0:08:18.040 also toxic to the digestive system and the immune system. 0:08:18.080 --> 0:08:22.280 It can cause blindness, muscle weakness, impaired movement, and lots 0:08:22.320 --> 0:08:26.680 of other neurological effects. Arsenic isn't a lot of electronics. 0:08:26.680 --> 0:08:29.800 That's a carcinogen that's associated with many different types of cancer, 0:08:29.840 --> 0:08:32.800 and it's also a neurotoxin. You've probably heard of arsenic 0:08:32.800 --> 0:08:37.679 and old lace, Yeah, popular poison among uh mystery novelists. 0:08:37.840 --> 0:08:42.920 It's popular because it's deadly stuff. Beryllium is another dangerous 0:08:43.760 --> 0:08:47.120 element that's in a lot of electronics. Exposure to brillium 0:08:47.240 --> 0:08:50.600 is typically pretty minimal for most of us, but you 0:08:50.640 --> 0:08:54.720 could have continued exposure due to maybe living near, for example, 0:08:55.040 --> 0:08:58.439 a recycling center that's not doing a good job at 0:08:58.520 --> 0:09:01.560 containing this stuff. That can lead to health problems, ranging 0:09:01.600 --> 0:09:05.160 from skin diseases to what is called acute beryllium disease, 0:09:05.200 --> 0:09:09.400 which the symptoms are very similar to pneumonia. It can 0:09:09.480 --> 0:09:12.600 even lead, although this is pretty rare, to lung cancer. 0:09:13.320 --> 0:09:16.680 Then there's brominated flame retardants. This is actually a class 0:09:16.679 --> 0:09:21.160 of synthetic chemicals. They're designed to make stuff less flammable. 0:09:21.240 --> 0:09:25.720 Frequently it tends to be incorporated directly into plastics. Some 0:09:25.880 --> 0:09:27.920 of them, like p B d e S, have been 0:09:27.960 --> 0:09:31.800 linked to numerous health risks, including memory and learning problems. 0:09:32.440 --> 0:09:37.920 Also thyroid disruption, reduced fertility, advanced puberty, and delayed mental 0:09:37.960 --> 0:09:42.520 and physical development. So we're talking serious consequences from some 0:09:42.640 --> 0:09:46.119 of the stuff that's inner electronics. There's also the possibility 0:09:46.160 --> 0:09:49.560 that if you throw your tech away, instead of it 0:09:49.600 --> 0:09:51.880 going to say a landfill, which is already pretty bad, 0:09:52.120 --> 0:09:54.440 they might go to an incinerator. Which could be even 0:09:54.480 --> 0:09:58.120 worse because then it gets thrown into a furnace and 0:09:58.280 --> 0:10:02.040 subjected to high heat, it could use other pollutants and 0:10:02.120 --> 0:10:04.960 those could all be released directly into the environment, causing 0:10:05.040 --> 0:10:09.160 environmental harm and health hazards to the population nearby. Or 0:10:09.800 --> 0:10:12.440 maybe you take a different choice. Maybe you don't send 0:10:12.480 --> 0:10:15.160 it off to be reused recycled, maybe you don't throw 0:10:15.200 --> 0:10:17.720 it away. Maybe it just takes up space in your home. 0:10:17.960 --> 0:10:20.679 But that's also not great. Sometimes it feels like it's 0:10:20.679 --> 0:10:25.400 the least bad situation, but you can find ways of 0:10:25.440 --> 0:10:29.040 have it making sure your device is reused recycled responsibly. 0:10:29.080 --> 0:10:31.000 I'll talk more about that in just a second, but 0:10:31.160 --> 0:10:34.360 first let's take a quick break to thank our sponsor. 0:10:43.720 --> 0:10:50.440 In a Gallop survey found that of Americans would upgrade 0:10:50.640 --> 0:10:54.200 their mobile handsets as soon as they were able to 0:10:54.600 --> 0:10:59.560 according to their phone plans. So in America until fairly recently, 0:11:00.160 --> 0:11:05.040 it was really common that these mobile providers would subsidize 0:11:05.080 --> 0:11:09.480 handset costs through the actual phone service plans themselves, and 0:11:09.600 --> 0:11:12.079 so the cost of the handsets to the customer were 0:11:12.160 --> 0:11:15.720 much lower on an upfront basis then you would find 0:11:15.760 --> 0:11:17.720 in other places in the world. So instead of having 0:11:17.760 --> 0:11:21.120 to spend several hundred dollars to buy a handset. It 0:11:21.200 --> 0:11:24.600 might be very cheap, but that cost would be incorporated 0:11:24.679 --> 0:11:27.960 into your phone plan. It would just be spread out 0:11:28.080 --> 0:11:30.840 over the course of your contract, which in America would 0:11:31.040 --> 0:11:34.600 typically last about two years. So every two years your 0:11:34.600 --> 0:11:38.040 contract would come up and you would become eligible to 0:11:38.240 --> 0:11:41.840 upgrade your phone for a new contract. And everybody seemed 0:11:41.880 --> 0:11:45.040 to benefit from this. You got a new phone, the 0:11:45.080 --> 0:11:48.920 phone company had you for another two years. Ultimately, over 0:11:48.960 --> 0:11:51.360 the course of those two years, you're probably paying more 0:11:51.440 --> 0:11:53.440 for that handset than you would if you had bought 0:11:53.440 --> 0:11:55.679 it all up front. It's just those payments have been 0:11:55.720 --> 0:11:59.720 spread out over twenty four months. And it seemed like 0:11:59.760 --> 0:12:02.439 it was a fairly nice proposition, except for the fact 0:12:02.520 --> 0:12:05.319 that meant that people were generating a lot of electronic waste. 0:12:05.320 --> 0:12:09.360 All these old handsets were starting to accumulate, and that's 0:12:09.400 --> 0:12:13.880 just mobile handsets. Generally speaking. Computer experts say that the 0:12:13.960 --> 0:12:19.000 average PCs lifespan is somewhere between three and five years. 0:12:19.120 --> 0:12:23.079 That typically sometime around three to five years, averaging out 0:12:23.080 --> 0:12:28.000 around four years. People need to upgrade their computers because 0:12:28.040 --> 0:12:31.000 they're just out of date. They're not running the latest software. 0:12:31.480 --> 0:12:35.040 Of the parts start to wear out, you know, batteries 0:12:35.080 --> 0:12:39.400 start to go bad. So then you have to do 0:12:39.480 --> 0:12:41.000 the same thing with your computer. What do you do 0:12:41.040 --> 0:12:43.720 with that? That's a larger piece of equipment than a 0:12:43.760 --> 0:12:47.000 mobile handset. Obviously, TVs tend to stick around a little 0:12:47.040 --> 0:12:50.640 bit longer, despite the best efforts of various companies out there, 0:12:50.679 --> 0:12:53.240 because every time I go to c e S that's 0:12:53.280 --> 0:12:56.000 the big consumer electronics show in Las Vegas every year, 0:12:56.200 --> 0:12:58.240 it seems like the big push is to come up 0:12:58.280 --> 0:13:00.440 with a new feature that's going to convince someone who 0:13:00.520 --> 0:13:03.240 bought a new television last year to do it all 0:13:03.320 --> 0:13:07.160 over again. But generally speaking, people don't do that because 0:13:07.160 --> 0:13:09.920 it's pretty expensive. People tend to stick with the same 0:13:09.960 --> 0:13:14.480 television for unaverage around seven years before upgrading. I think 0:13:14.520 --> 0:13:18.280 I'm behind the average there. I don't even I stick 0:13:18.320 --> 0:13:23.040 with my televisions forever, it seems, but you don't see 0:13:23.040 --> 0:13:25.240 that happen as frequently, But that still is an issue 0:13:25.280 --> 0:13:28.240 if you do upgrade. Let's say that Thanksgiving roles around 0:13:28.240 --> 0:13:31.040 in the States, that's typically when you start seeing these 0:13:31.160 --> 0:13:35.920 big discounts on televisions that came out the year before, 0:13:36.559 --> 0:13:39.559 and stores want to clear out those inventories to make 0:13:39.559 --> 0:13:43.560 way for new TVs they're coming in in the new year. Uh, 0:13:43.760 --> 0:13:46.400 you can get these crazy deals on what looks to 0:13:46.400 --> 0:13:48.880 be like a great bargain for a television, but that 0:13:48.880 --> 0:13:51.199 means you have to do something with your old TV again. 0:13:51.240 --> 0:13:54.560 Electronic waste, and there are larger appliances that we tend 0:13:54.600 --> 0:13:57.440 to stick with until we need to replace them. Right Like, 0:13:58.280 --> 0:14:00.080 not a lot of people sit there and say I 0:14:00.120 --> 0:14:02.640 want a new washer and dryer unless their old washer 0:14:02.640 --> 0:14:06.120 and dryer is either become unreliable or has just plane broken. 0:14:06.720 --> 0:14:09.240 But eventually we do have to replace these things. So 0:14:09.280 --> 0:14:12.880 pretty much anything that has circuitry or electrical components fits 0:14:12.880 --> 0:14:15.920 into the category of E waste, from lamps to washing 0:14:15.960 --> 0:14:20.040 machines or smart watches to large screen televisions. An electronic 0:14:20.080 --> 0:14:23.640 waste is one of the fastest growing types of waste 0:14:23.640 --> 0:14:26.760 in the world. As we see technology adoption increase in 0:14:26.800 --> 0:14:31.200 new markets like Africa, we're seeing those numbers climb rapidly. Now, 0:14:31.240 --> 0:14:35.560 developed countries do tend to produce a lot more E waste. 0:14:35.640 --> 0:14:39.440 As a rule, China is known for producing most of it, 0:14:39.600 --> 0:14:41.880 and if you're looking at it from a percentage point 0:14:41.960 --> 0:14:44.640 and looking at each nation. China leads the way, but 0:14:44.680 --> 0:14:47.800 America is not super far behind. When it comes to 0:14:47.800 --> 0:14:50.720 the highest amount of E waste generated per inhabitant, you've 0:14:50.720 --> 0:14:54.960 gotta look over toward Australia, Polynesia, Micronesia in that area, 0:14:55.480 --> 0:15:00.120 they generate the most E waste per inhabitant, but are 0:15:00.240 --> 0:15:03.080 very few people there compared to other parts of the world, 0:15:03.120 --> 0:15:05.320 so it doesn't amount to as much in a grand 0:15:05.400 --> 0:15:09.880 scheme of things. The cost of consumer electronics also continues 0:15:09.920 --> 0:15:13.320 to drop. That makes electronics more accessible to a wider 0:15:13.360 --> 0:15:15.520 group of people, and I think that's a good thing. 0:15:15.800 --> 0:15:19.360 I think have more people having access to technology is great. 0:15:19.520 --> 0:15:23.160 In general. It's very important accessibility, making sure that we 0:15:23.200 --> 0:15:26.920 start to whittle away at that gap between the halves 0:15:26.960 --> 0:15:30.240 and the have nots. However, when you pair this with 0:15:30.280 --> 0:15:33.000 the trend of pushing people to adopt and then abandoned 0:15:33.000 --> 0:15:36.280 technology rapidly in favor of the next new thing, it 0:15:36.360 --> 0:15:39.960 really exacerbates the problem of e waste. In seventeen, the 0:15:40.040 --> 0:15:43.440 United Nations released a report on e waste that looked 0:15:43.440 --> 0:15:47.320 into trends and challenges, and that report found that by sixteen, 0:15:47.520 --> 0:15:50.480 the global production of E waste had hit forty four 0:15:50.520 --> 0:15:55.200 point seven million metric tons of junk tech. That's the 0:15:55.240 --> 0:16:00.760 equivalent of four thousand, five hundred Eiffel towers. Means on average, 0:16:00.960 --> 0:16:05.080 each inhabitant produced six point one ms or nearly thirteen 0:16:05.120 --> 0:16:07.640 and a half pounds of electronic waste. In twenty sixteen, 0:16:09.360 --> 0:16:11.640 it was more like five point eight kilograms or twelve 0:16:11.720 --> 0:16:14.360 point eight pounds, so the trend was on the rise. 0:16:14.440 --> 0:16:17.160 Not only are we generating more, we're generating more per person. 0:16:17.880 --> 0:16:24.239 Only of all of that E waste was properly documented 0:16:24.280 --> 0:16:28.200 as being recycled or reused under was considered to be 0:16:28.320 --> 0:16:31.400 the the appropriate guidelines. So according to the United Nations, 0:16:31.880 --> 0:16:34.960 of the forty four point seven million metric tons of 0:16:35.000 --> 0:16:38.360 E waste produced by twenty sixteen, one point seven million 0:16:38.400 --> 0:16:41.200 tons of it got thrown into residual waste in higher 0:16:41.240 --> 0:16:44.720 income countries, which pretty much means they either ended up 0:16:44.800 --> 0:16:49.040 in landfills or in incinerators. Only eight point nine million 0:16:49.040 --> 0:16:52.520 tons was documented as collected and recycled, So it's possible 0:16:52.760 --> 0:16:55.280 the more waste is being recycled than we know about, 0:16:55.880 --> 0:17:01.400 but it's undocumented and unverified, which ain't great and since 0:17:01.440 --> 0:17:03.920 the trend seems to be on the rise, this is 0:17:04.000 --> 0:17:06.960 really bad news. Now again, according to the u N report, 0:17:06.960 --> 0:17:09.760 by twenty twenty one will see E waste hit fifty 0:17:09.800 --> 0:17:14.600 two point two million metric tons. I'm citing the United 0:17:14.640 --> 0:17:17.040 Nations a lot, but I should also point out that 0:17:17.080 --> 0:17:21.479 it's very, very difficult to get an accurate representation of 0:17:21.560 --> 0:17:24.439 exactly how big this problem is because a lot of 0:17:24.440 --> 0:17:29.320 countries do not collect or publish statistics about electronic waste, 0:17:29.960 --> 0:17:33.280 and in some cases you may not be entirely certain 0:17:33.440 --> 0:17:37.240 that the findings that are being reported are accurate. So 0:17:37.320 --> 0:17:39.640 some of the numbers that the UN relies upon come 0:17:39.680 --> 0:17:43.159 from estimates as a result of doing some investigation and 0:17:43.200 --> 0:17:46.119 then extrapolating those results to get a bigger picture of 0:17:46.160 --> 0:17:48.320 view of what might be going on. And there are 0:17:48.359 --> 0:17:51.480 a lot of advocacy groups out there that really want 0:17:51.520 --> 0:17:54.040 to tackle E waste, and that is a good thing. 0:17:54.480 --> 0:17:58.200 I don't disagree with their motivation. However, I will say 0:17:58.240 --> 0:18:02.480 that sometimes some of these groups tend to present numbers 0:18:02.520 --> 0:18:06.280 that I personally cannot track down to a verifiable source. 0:18:07.000 --> 0:18:10.720 That is less good. I definitely agree we need to 0:18:10.760 --> 0:18:15.160 acknowledge and tackle the E waste problem in a responsible way. However, 0:18:15.600 --> 0:18:19.359 presenting information as fact without any evidence to back it 0:18:19.520 --> 0:18:22.120 up is a really good way to allow people who 0:18:22.119 --> 0:18:26.480 oppose your philosophy a means of criticizing your methods. So, 0:18:26.520 --> 0:18:28.520 in other words, you're just opening up the door for 0:18:28.600 --> 0:18:31.680 someone to tear down your argument, because if they can 0:18:31.720 --> 0:18:35.560 say this number you're citing as fact has no evidence 0:18:35.560 --> 0:18:38.800 to back it up, then it's like they're saying, well, 0:18:39.000 --> 0:18:41.360 you're arguing that something is a problem, but you can't 0:18:41.359 --> 0:18:44.960 even prove to me that the problem exists. That's not great. 0:18:45.560 --> 0:18:49.439 Many developed nations do have various programs in place to 0:18:49.480 --> 0:18:52.080 deal with electronic waste, things that you are supposed to 0:18:52.160 --> 0:18:58.040 do if you are trying to get rid of old electronics. However, 0:18:58.560 --> 0:19:02.040 these various programs aren't always followed properly, and in fact, 0:19:02.080 --> 0:19:06.680 some practices that are commonplace in these countries are technically illegal. However, 0:19:07.040 --> 0:19:11.600 they are rarely enforced, so you might see people throw 0:19:11.640 --> 0:19:13.920 stuff out in the garbage when they're supposed to follow 0:19:14.000 --> 0:19:18.040 a very different protocol, but because there's not really any 0:19:18.040 --> 0:19:21.000 way of policing that, and even if there were, there's 0:19:21.040 --> 0:19:24.280 not a high likelihood of it being prosecuted. There's no 0:19:24.320 --> 0:19:27.600 teeth to any legislation. People have to do it because 0:19:27.640 --> 0:19:31.560 they want to be responsible, not because they're worried about 0:19:31.600 --> 0:19:36.760 being punished otherwise. So appealing to people's responsibility, to their 0:19:36.840 --> 0:19:39.879 to their desire to be a good person might be 0:19:39.920 --> 0:19:44.040 more helpful. Just because it's not very practical in most 0:19:44.080 --> 0:19:48.600 cases to come up with pollution police. Developing nations have 0:19:48.720 --> 0:19:53.480 it fairly rough. Uh. These are the countries that did 0:19:53.520 --> 0:19:58.959 not benefit from gradually developing this technology and building out 0:19:59.000 --> 0:20:02.440 an infrastructure to support it. Instead, they leap frogged into 0:20:02.440 --> 0:20:06.240 the modern era of electronics without having done that, and 0:20:06.480 --> 0:20:09.680 so they aren't able to deal with the consequences as 0:20:09.840 --> 0:20:12.520 readily as the rest of the world, which has kind 0:20:12.520 --> 0:20:15.359 of grown into this. So I'm talking about places like 0:20:15.720 --> 0:20:20.680 lots of countries in Africa which have thankfully gotten access 0:20:20.720 --> 0:20:23.679 to things like cell towers, cell phones, a lot of 0:20:23.720 --> 0:20:28.880 cellular based technologies, but they did this by leap frogging 0:20:29.040 --> 0:20:33.879 other developments, and they don't have the systems in place 0:20:33.920 --> 0:20:38.640 to handle e waste. And it's also true and unfortunate 0:20:39.240 --> 0:20:41.600 that the people who are at least able to afford 0:20:41.640 --> 0:20:45.240 the problems that come along with electronic waste are the 0:20:45.280 --> 0:20:47.880 same ones who have to deal with it. In many cases, 0:20:48.359 --> 0:20:52.800 there's also an issue with developing countries accepting e waste 0:20:52.800 --> 0:20:58.240 for recycling purposes. Essentially, you've got UH places that will 0:20:58.680 --> 0:21:00.920 either accept or they will actually go out and buy 0:21:01.160 --> 0:21:05.000 electronic waste from other countries, which is not necessarily a 0:21:05.040 --> 0:21:08.919 bad thing on the surface. Recycling can be an industry 0:21:09.240 --> 0:21:12.760 unto itself, and it can provide a valuable service while 0:21:12.840 --> 0:21:15.320 recapturing some of the raw materials that were used to 0:21:15.320 --> 0:21:18.720 make electronics. The u N actually reported that those raw 0:21:18.800 --> 0:21:23.600 materials were worth about fifty five billion euro in UH 0:21:23.640 --> 0:21:25.879 in twenty sixteen. The euro averaged out to be about 0:21:25.880 --> 0:21:28.600 one point one dollars per euro, so that would be 0:21:28.800 --> 0:21:31.960 that the raw materials were worth around sixty billion dollars. 0:21:32.600 --> 0:21:36.000 So it would definitely be better too to reclaim some 0:21:36.080 --> 0:21:38.800 of that value to leverage it rather than just throw 0:21:38.840 --> 0:21:41.960 it out if you can do that. UH and I 0:21:42.000 --> 0:21:44.520 talked about some of the harmful materials that are in electronics, 0:21:44.520 --> 0:21:47.119 but they can also contain some really valuable stuff in it, 0:21:47.240 --> 0:21:51.040 like gold, copper, alumium, and steel. But the bad part 0:21:51.119 --> 0:21:56.440 comes into play with the practices and processes for recycling electronics. 0:21:56.960 --> 0:21:59.560 If there are a few protections in place and a 0:21:59.640 --> 0:22:03.600 recye link center is not following careful protocols, the process 0:22:03.640 --> 0:22:06.800 of recycling can be very harmful to the environment as 0:22:06.840 --> 0:22:09.679 well as really the people who are working at that 0:22:09.720 --> 0:22:14.439 facility and for the surrounding population as a as a possibility. 0:22:14.520 --> 0:22:18.800 A lot of these places, the reason why they are 0:22:18.800 --> 0:22:21.320 an attractive place to send recycling for the rest of 0:22:21.320 --> 0:22:24.600 the world is that it's inexpensive to do it um 0:22:24.640 --> 0:22:26.879 And part of the reason for that is because in 0:22:26.920 --> 0:22:29.920 a lot of these countries the cost of labor is low, 0:22:30.160 --> 0:22:35.000 meaning they're not paying people very much. And uh that 0:22:35.040 --> 0:22:38.680 becomes a delicate balance too, because if the amount you're 0:22:38.720 --> 0:22:42.920 spending to recycle is larger than the amount you're getting back, 0:22:43.000 --> 0:22:46.960 you're in a losing proposition. So you can't continue to 0:22:47.080 --> 0:22:50.720 operate that way. But in order for you to do 0:22:50.760 --> 0:22:53.240 this in an efficient way, you have to find out, 0:22:53.760 --> 0:22:56.400 you know, what's a what's a low cost method of 0:22:56.480 --> 0:22:59.600 recycling this stuff? And it tends to be sending it 0:22:59.640 --> 0:23:05.879 to very poor nations that very low wages and often 0:23:06.680 --> 0:23:11.000 do not treat their employees very well. There's a terrible 0:23:11.040 --> 0:23:14.760 standard of living, and the measures that are supposed to 0:23:14.800 --> 0:23:17.239 be there in order to ensure people's safety may not 0:23:17.359 --> 0:23:22.080 be there at all, so it's very worrisome. Typically, the 0:23:22.160 --> 0:23:26.800 way a recycling center would process electronic waste would follow 0:23:27.200 --> 0:23:31.200 a pattern. So first it would have to get this 0:23:31.440 --> 0:23:35.119 electronic waste, which is a non trivial problem. Transporting materials 0:23:35.400 --> 0:23:39.520 requires energy, um it has an economic impact. So if 0:23:39.560 --> 0:23:41.359 it takes a lot of energy, if it takes a 0:23:41.359 --> 0:23:43.439 lot of money to get the electronic waste to the 0:23:43.480 --> 0:23:46.680 recycling center, you could be operating in a loss, which 0:23:46.720 --> 0:23:49.720 means it's a nonstarter. Once you get it. The next 0:23:49.720 --> 0:23:54.240 step could be an assessment of each piece of electronic waste, 0:23:54.640 --> 0:23:57.080 because some of these devices could be in good working order. 0:23:57.440 --> 0:24:00.720 Then if it's operable, or if you can do repairs 0:24:00.760 --> 0:24:03.359 on it and make it operable, you might want to 0:24:03.400 --> 0:24:07.320 resell that device for a profit and keep it in use. 0:24:07.480 --> 0:24:09.560