tag:theconversation.com,2011:/id/topics/e-waste-6757/articles
E-waste – The Conversation
2024-02-28T16:18:15Z
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/222670
2024-02-28T16:18:15Z
2024-02-28T16:18:15Z
‘Urban mines’: how to unlock our electronic junk’s potential
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573118/original/file-20230927-21-ul4bm0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=6%2C18%2C2038%2C1410&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Could this heap of junk prevent us from having to open a new mine?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Hellebardius</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Instead of developing new mining infrastructures, what if we recovered the metal deposits contained in the electronic objects we no longer use, such as smartphones or computers? There are very good reasons for focusing on the potential of these <a href="https://theconversation.com/recycler-100-des-metaux-un-objectif-atteignable-192573">“urban mines”</a>, also known as secondary mines to distinguish them from the “primary” mines where resources in the ground are exploited directly.</p>
<h2>A strategic challenge for the European Union</h2>
<p>Not only would these alternative resources address a shortage of mining infrastructure, they could also help to slash <a href="https://theconversation.com/le-volume-de-dechets-electroniques-explose-et-leur-taux-de-recyclage-reste-ridicule-143701">electronic waste</a>, otherwise known as “e-waste”. The fastest-growing waste stream in the world, electronic junk wreaks havoc on ecosystems around the globe and poses a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969720332654">major threat to health</a> by leaching toxic substances into the land and water, especially in Asia.</p>
<p>Better recycling electronic items could also reduce mining’s high environmental impact. In fact, for some metals, recycling is more energy efficient than mining. Extracting aluminium through recycling, for example, requires <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11837-021-04802-y">10 to 15 times less energy</a> than primary production.</p>
<p>The issue is especially important as several of the recyclable metals are critical resources for the European Union’s twin transitions to a digital and net-zero economy. Deposits such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare earths are essential for the production of electronics, electric vehicles and renewable energy components such as solar panels. Yet they are barely exploited in the bloc and exposed to a high risk of supply tensions. To this end, since 2011, the European Union has assessed and released every three years a list of critical raw minerals that should constitute a priority for urban mining.</p>
<p>The fifth list, <a href="https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/raw-materials/areas-specific-interest/critical-raw-materials_en">published in 2023</a>, identified 34 critical metals, including rare earth elements, lithium, copper, and nickel. Unfortunately, the gap between the European Union’s recommendations and urban mining practices is glaringly obvious.</p>
<h2>A life cycle riddled with obstacles to recycling</h2>
<p>An object’s recovery potential is limited at every stage of its life cycle by technical, organisational, regulatory, and economic obstacles. From its very design, certain practices limit its metals’ recyclability, such as the use of metals in particular alloys, since not <a href="https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/39534359/Design_for_Recycling_Evaluation_and_Effi20151029-964-yq8ltw-libre.pdf">all alloys can be recycled</a>, or hybridisation, since <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0255270111002029">composite materials are harder – not impossible – to recycle</a>. For instance, for liquid food packaging, most cartons are made from cardboard and PolyAl, a blend of aluminium and polyethylene (a type of plastic).</p>
<p>For many years, the cardboard from food cartons was recovered and recycled, but not the PolyAl, leading to incomplete recycling. In this specific case, the companies Tetra Pak and Recon Polymers ultimately developed a separation process, opening a <a href="https://www.usinenouvelle.com/article/un-nouveau-debouche-pour-le-polyal.N1217752">recycling plant specifically for PolyAl in 2021</a>. But many other products continue to be difficult to recycle, precisely because this aspect was not taken into account at the design stage.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.cairn-sciences.info/quel-futur-pour-les-metaux--9782759809011-page-287.htm"><em>Dispersive uses</em></a>, which involve using small quantities of metals in products to modify their properties, are another practice that evades recycling. Take silver nanoparticles: their industrial application ranges from the disinfection of medical equipment, water treatment, to odour prevention in textiles. Likewise, a few grams of dysprosium, a rare earth metal, may also be used to boost magnets’ pull. In sum, some metals boast so many applications that it is impossible to ensure their circularity.</p>
<h2>Electronic hibernation – abandoning our devices in the attic</h2>
<p>Once objects have been designed and used, there is a second obstacle, which stems from consumers, who tend to hold on to their electronic objects, whether they work or not, rather than dropping them at a specific recycling facility. This phenomenon is known as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956053X16307607"><em>electronic hibernation</em></a>. As far back as 2009, a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301479709001637">pioneering study</a> estimated that American households stored an average of 6.5 hibernating electronic items in their attics and basements. This figure has increased exponentially over the years.</p>
<p>In 2021, a <a href="https://www.gstatic.com/gumdrop/sustainability/electronics-hibernation.pdf">study conducted by Google</a> identified seven key barriers preventing consumers from recycling their electronic devices:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Low awareness of existing handoff options (recycling)</p></li>
<li><p>Expectations regarding financial or social compensation</p></li>
<li><p>Device nostalgia</p></li>
<li><p>Desire to keep spare products</p></li>
<li><p>Data retrieval factors</p></li>
<li><p>Desire to ensure data removal</p></li>
<li><p>Inconvenience of handoff options.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>A more recent study <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800922003962">conducted in Switzerland</a> tempers these results slightly: 40% of respondents said they would be willing to part with their old cell phone for less than five dollars. However, it would be interesting to conduct the same survey in countries less wealthy than Switzerland.</p>
<p>Finally, the third stumbling block concerns collection systems and recycling infrastructures. In France, from where I write, most targeted waste channels (electronic waste, packaging, tires, etc.) are run by eco-organisations, private bodies that have either organisational or financial responsibility. These are regularly embroiled in controversy: analyses indicate that the <a href="https://www.cairn.info/revue-mouvements-2016-3-page-82.htm">material recovery of waste flows managed by eco-organisations is often suboptimal</a>, in particular because of their profitability objectives.</p>
<h2>Engaging engineers, designers, politicians, and consumers</h2>
<p>Despite these obstacles, a number of initiatives aim to support companies in their eco-design efforts, including the <a href="https://upcyclea.com/en/cradle-to-cradle/">cradle to cradle</a>, which encourages companies to maintain “the quality of raw materials throughout the multiple life cycles of the product and its components.”</p>
<p>Beyond such schemes, however, <a href="https://www.cairn.info/revue-flux-2017-2-page-51.htm">every participant</a> in the value chain needs to examine their responsibility in waste:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>For engineers and product designers, this means adopting a more sustainable approach to design, taking into account the entire product life cycle right from the beginning of the design stage: it is the purpose of eco-design and eco-conception.</p></li>
<li><p>Companies, meanwhile, need to take a longer-term approach rather than focusing exclusively on short-term profitability, particularly in a context of volatile metal prices.</p></li>
<li><p>For consumers, this means greater awareness of the need to sort waste for disposal in specific channels, particularly electronic waste.</p></li>
<li><p>And finally, governments and local authorities would do well to put in place regulations tailored to the sector’s complexity, potentially including ambitious targets for specific recycling rates by type of metal, as well as some form of territorial planning to better coordinate flows. Ensuring that <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0921344916300283">recycling facilities more accessible</a> is also a key factor in promoting good recycling behaviours.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>The difficulty of moving toward a circular economy</h2>
<p>We have not yet ventured to report metal recycling rates. One of them, the end-of-life recycling rate (EOL-RR), refers to the percentage of discarded metal that is recycled. Another indicator, the recycled content (RC), considers the proportion of recycled metal in total metal production.</p>
<p>Not surprisingly, these two indicators give very different recycling rates. For instance, chromium (Cr), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) have a life recycling rate of <a href="https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/8702/Recycling_Metals.pdf">over 50%</a>, which means that more than half of the quantities put into circulation are recycled. However, their recycled content is <a href="https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/8702/Recycling_Metals.pdf">between 10 and 25%</a>, as primary extraction of these metals is constantly increasing: the share of recycled metal in the total flows therefore remains low.</p>
<p>Consequently, even if we were able to achieve an optimal exploitation of urban mining deposits and high recycling rates for all metals (measured in EOL-RR), we would still be a long way from a circular economy, as demand for metals continues to rise exponentially. For instance, global production of copper (Cu) has almost doubled since 2000, rising from <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/254917/total-global-copper-production-since-2006/">14 to 25 million metric tons/year</a>.</p>
<p>The effective recycling of metals contained in urban mines is therefore a necessary, but not sufficient condition for a truly circular economy. We will need to see a significant decrease in the volume of mineral resources used in industry before urban mining can partially replace, rather than add to, the exploitation of primary deposits.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222670/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Fanny Verrax ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>
Mining precious metals is expensive and environmentally destructive. As an alternative, researchers are increasingly eyeing recycling old smartphones, computers and other electronics.
Fanny Verrax, Associate professor in Ecological Transition and Social Entrepreneurship, EM Lyon Business School
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/221906
2024-01-30T13:55:43Z
2024-01-30T13:55:43Z
Disposable vape ban: local communities voiced their concerns – and the government has listened
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572118/original/file-20240130-29-kgghse.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Laura Young started campaigning to ban disposable vapes 16 months ago and now the UK government is taking action. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">PHOTO CREDIT Laura Young</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>On a wet day in January 2023, I took Scottish Labour MSP, <a href="https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/politics/scottish-politics/4128610/dundee-disposable-vapes/">Mercedes Villalba</a>, on a vape hunt. Having seen some of the vape litter picking videos I had made which went viral, she asked to come along and see the problem for herself. Armed with bin bags and litter pickers, we set off around the University of Dundee campus in search of discarded disposable vapes. </p>
<p>Within an hour, we collected dozens of these electronic devices. This experience spurred Villalba on to act. She asked questions in parliament questions, attended events and spoke at debates alongside other parliamentarians who had similar concerns about the harmful environmental impacts of single-use vapes. </p>
<p>A year since that vape hunt, we’ve reached a milestone. This week, after considerable efforts, the UK government announced plans to <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/01/25/uk-set-to-ban-single-use-vapes-discourage-children-smoking/">ban disposable vapes</a>. Community engagement, including my vape hunt litter picks, and grassroots action have played a crucial role in driving this change. </p>
<h2>Community is key</h2>
<p>My <a href="http://www.lesswastelaura.com/phd.html">PhD</a> at Abertay University and the University of Dundee investigates the links between climate resilience, nature-based solutions, and community engagement. My research has been running in parallel with the vape campaign, and I’ve had firsthand experience of the importance of local voices and community action. </p>
<p>Local communities notice the damage caused by disposable vapes, whether that’s nicotine-addicted schoolchildren <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66734516">struggling to concentrate</a> through school lessons, waste workers dealing with <a href="https://www.materialfocus.org.uk/press-releases/over-700-fires-in-bin-lorries-and-recycling-centres-are-caused-by-batteries-many-of-which-are-hidden-inside-electricals/">increased fires due to explosive lithium-ion batteries</a> inside vapes, or <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/crackdown-on-illegal-sale-of-vapes">trading standards</a> officers feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of shops flouting the rules selling illegally to kids. </p>
<p>Communities also know which solutions could be the best fit for them, so taking the time to build connections with local representatives really makes a difference. Collaboration with local community groups to find solutions is beginning to catch on after recent research has shown that multiple benefits are possible when working together. </p>
<p>Projects, including <a href="https://urbanbynature.eu/">UrbanByNature</a> working with local community groups such as <a href="https://urbanbynature.eu/hub/scotland">Growchapel</a> in Glasgow or <a href="https://clevercities.eu/">CleverCities</a> in <a href="https://clevercities.eu/hamburg/">Neugraben-Fischbek, Hamburg</a>, facilitate collaboration between communities, researchers, local authorities, charities and practitioners to work together shaping cities and towns into more resilient places, tackling urban challenges and transforming neighbourhoods. </p>
<p>Local people get to shape the places they call home while building resilience and creating spaces that enhance wellbeing too. That includes green corridors, roofs, rain gardens, school wildflower meadows and community allotment projects. </p>
<h2>Waking up to e-waste</h2>
<p>I first noticed disposable vapes littering the natural environment while <a href="https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/22317698.east-renfrewshire-woman-wants-disposable-vapes-banned-pulling-dogs-mouth/">walking my dog</a> around our local park in the south side of Glasgow in September 2022. As a climate change activist, I couldn’t sit back and do nothing. I <a href="https://twitter.com/LessWasteLaura/status/1570343031412494336">tweeted in frustration</a>, saying that I was sick of finding these as litter, and wanted to campaign against these for both public health and environmental reasons. </p>
<p>That frustration led to the launch of the #BanDisposableVapes social media awareness campaign, then 16 months later, a proposed legislative change. The engagement of so many decision-makers at every level of government has definitely been a major contributor to the success of the movement to ban disposable vapes. </p>
<p>In May 2023, I spent a Thursday evening emailing every single councillor in Scotland about the need to ban disposable vapes. I had no idea what the response would be, but what transpired was so encouraging. After drafting personalised emails to each local authority, outlining the problems, research and solutions, with local case studies where possible, <a href="https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/recent-publication?meeting=15434&iob=131707#:%7E:text=It%20is%20probably%20because%20vape,to%20be%20banned%20or%20controlled.">29 out of 32 councils</a> took this issue to their meetings. Remarkably, different political parties proposed change, agreed to support the campaign to ban disposable vapes and wrote to the Scottish government demanding improved legislation. </p>
<h2>Grassroots innovation</h2>
<p>Throughout this campaign, I’ve seen countless examples of successful grassroots action. <a href="https://www.mcsuk.org/what-you-can-do/campaigns/ban-disposable-vapes/">Litter picking groups</a> across the UK have contacted their local MPs. <a href="https://www.parentsagainstvaping.org/#:%7E:text=Parents%20Against%20Vaping%20e%2Dcigarettes%20(PAVe)%20is%20a%20national,education%20organization%20powered%20by%20volunteers.">Parents</a> and <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-67546601">teachers</a> have united to discuss solutions to youth vaping. Youth groups including the <a href="https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2023/04/27/youth-worker-keen-to-see-councillors-back-campaign-to-ban-single-use-vapes/">Eco Youth Club in Scalloway, Shetland</a> have voiced their concerns to their councillors. </p>
<p>Local communities have more power than we often realise. Yes, we need businesses and governments to shift the system, but individuals have significant influence too. Businesses look at our consumer behaviours and change their products to meet the next trend. Our demands can push businesses to improve their corporate responsibility. Meanwhile, governments endeavour to secure a tick on our next ballot paper to secure our vote. We can help set the agenda and insist that our government sets legislation that protects our planet and our community. </p>
<p>When the UK government released the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping/outcome/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping-consultation-government-response">Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping</a> consultation at the end of 2023, organisations, experts and people in local communities could really have their say. There was a huge response. Most (27.025) of the 27,921 responses came from individuals concerned about health impacts of vaping, underage access and environmental issues. Crucially, 69% respondents were in favour of a ban, and decision makers have listened and acted. </p>
<p>There’s still more work to be done. We have <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/jan/29/uk-disposable-vapes-ban-very-likely-to-become-law-after-lack-of-objections">about a year</a> to build robust legislation, address the problems of disposable vapes and consider any potential unintended consequences. </p>
<p>But right now, I’m taking a moment to celebrate the success of a truly community-centered campaign that has brought together people from across different sectors, political parties, and nations to take direct action that protects our environment and the next generation.</p>
<hr>
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<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Laura Young does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Grassroots activism can drive governments to take action. The recent decision to ban disposable vapes in the UK hinged on creative collaboration between communities, councils and decision-makers.
Laura Young, PhD Researcher, Environmental Sciences, Abertay University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/213946
2023-10-06T16:33:40Z
2023-10-06T16:33:40Z
What you should (and shouldn’t) do with all of your old phone chargers and other e-waste
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552349/original/file-20231005-15-w94j4k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C7%2C4938%2C3280&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Most of us have accumulated a stash of old devices, chargers and cables that sit forgotten in our homes.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/usb-chargers-wires-tangled-chaos-1559167382">MikhailSk/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The statistics surrounding mobile phones are staggering. There are <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/218984/number-of-global-mobile-users-since-2010/">more than 7 billion</a> mobile phone users worldwide, <a href="https://www.statista.com/forecasts/1143723/smartphone-users-in-the-world#:%7E:text=After%20the%20fifth%20consecutive%20increasing,any%20age%20using%20a%20smartphone.">nearly 5 billion</a> of whom use a smartphone.</p>
<p>These devices are a fundamental part of our lives. But, as electronic devices are constantly improving, older models quickly become outdated. </p>
<p>In a <a href="https://www.nevis.net/en/blog/how-often-do-users-change-their-smartphone">survey</a> conducted by Nevis Security, a Swiss software company, it was found that 62% of respondents replace their smartphones every three to four years. A significant portion of people change their phones even more frequently than this, with nearly 20% of the respondents reporting that they replace their phone every year.</p>
<p>This rapid turnover doesn’t only involve getting a new device; it often means purchasing a brand new set of cables and chargers that are compatible with the latest model of phone.</p>
<p>Fortunately, change is on the horizon. The European Commission has recently <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-58665809">implemented a regulation</a> mandating that, by 2024, all phones and small electronic devices sold within the EU must feature a universal <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB-C">USB-C charging port</a>. As a result, <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20200128IPR71205/parliament-wants-binding-rules-on-common-chargers-to-be-tabled-by-summer">30 different models</a> of charger have been reduced to just three.</p>
<p>Despite this development, most of us have already <a href="https://digital.detritusjournal.com/articles/why-do-weee-hoard-the-effect-of-consumer-behaviour-on-the-release-of-home-entertainment-products-int/357">accumulated a stash</a> of old devices, chargers and cables that sit forgotten in our sheds, drawers and cupboards. Many of these chargers ultimately end up being discarded, contributing to <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-51324847">more than 51,000 tonnes</a> of electronic and electrical equipment waste each year.</p>
<p>So, what should or shouldn’t you be doing with all of the obsolete electronic equipment that is piled up in your home? </p>
<h2>Don’t bin them</h2>
<p>Many people <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/polls/comments/15ztbkm/how_would_you_dispose_of_an_old_phone_charger/?rdt=59166">do not realise</a> that disposing of old phone chargers and cables in standard waste bins has negative environmental consequences. Chargers and cables consist of various plastics, metals and other materials that do not decompose naturally. </p>
<p>Polyvinyl chloride – commonly known as PVC – is a plastic that is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clet.2021.100246">often used</a> in chargers and cables. It breaks down very slowly, typically taking <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acssuschemeng.9b06635">30 years or more</a> to degrade. PVC also fragments into harmful microplastic particles.</p>
<p>The safe handling of e-waste is important, yet the issue of electronic waste is <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51385344">frequently overlooked</a>. In fact, much of the electronic waste that is generated <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1066948/share-of-electronic-waste-disposed-globally/">goes undocumented</a>. </p>
<p>Developed nations, including the <a href="https://bpr.berkeley.edu/2019/12/05/out-of-sight-out-of-mind-how-the-united-states-discards-e-waste/">United States</a>, certain Europe nations and some in Asia, often <a href="https://ourworld.unu.edu/en/toxic-e-waste-dumped-in-poor-nations-says-united-nations">export their electronic waste</a> to poorer countries. In places where suitable facilities and national electronic waste legislation are lacking, electronic waste is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2020.10.016">often treated as general waste</a> and either ends up in landfill or is recycled along with other metal or plastic waste.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, any electronic waste that includes a plug, battery or cable can be managed in an environmentally responsible manner. All cables contain copper, a valuable material, making them suitable for recycling. Many standard cable plastics can be recycled too, although some may pose challenges due to the presence of additives.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Electronic waste in a landfill." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552352/original/file-20231005-23-om0hba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552352/original/file-20231005-23-om0hba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552352/original/file-20231005-23-om0hba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552352/original/file-20231005-23-om0hba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552352/original/file-20231005-23-om0hba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552352/original/file-20231005-23-om0hba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552352/original/file-20231005-23-om0hba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Used electronics or e-waste often end up in landfill.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/electronic-waste-garbage-recycling-1675112314">Morten B/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What should you do with them?</h2>
<p>There are <a href="https://www.recycleyourelectricals.org.uk/electrical-recycling/">several recommended methods</a> for managing old chargers and cables responsibly.</p>
<p>Some retailers offer convenient options for disposing of old products. These include paid pick-up services where your old item is collected when delivering a new one, or free drop-off programmes. For instance, Apple provides a <a href="https://www.apple.com/by/recycling/nationalservices/">national trade-in system</a> in the UK where people can trade in their devices or cables in return for credit towards the purchase of a new device or, if not eligible for this scheme, will recycle them at no cost</p>
<p>Most recycling centres also accept common wires and cables, including mobile phone cables, electrical and home appliance wires, Ethernet cables, power cords and chargers. Dropping your old phone cables off at a recycling centre will ensure they are properly recycled.</p>
<p>It’s worth noting that <a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10142763">wireless mobile phone chargers</a> are emerging as a promising future charging option. This technology is helping to reduce the need for cables.</p>
<p>If your chargers are in working condition, you can opt to sell them through online auction sites such as <a href="https://www.ebay.co.uk/b/bn_450849">eBay</a>. Alternatively, you can sell your devices online or at stores such as <a href="https://www.musicmagpie.co.uk/">Music Magpie</a>, which claims to refurbish 95% of the products received from consumers, all of which are resold in the UK.</p>
<p>Rather than selling your functional but unwanted chargers, consider donating them to a <a href="https://www.charityretail.org.uk/">local charity shop</a> for others to use. Some local authorities also offer curbside collection services for small electrical items. Check with your local council to see if this service is available in your area.</p>
<p>There are lots of ways to manage your old cables and chargers sustainably. By prioritising <a href="https://www.circularonline.co.uk/features/time-to-bury-landfill-for-good/">electronic waste prevention, reuse and recycling</a>, you will not only help the environment, but also ensure that today’s products can form tomorrow’s raw materials.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
<br><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeTop">Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead.</a> Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeBottom">Join the 20,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.</a></em></p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ian Williams receives funding from EU Horizon 2020 and EPSRC. Ian Williams is a member of the International Solid Waste Association, the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management and the Royal Society of Chemistry.</span></em></p>
Electronic waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world – there are things you can do to minimise your role in it.
Ian Williams, Professor of Applied Environmental Science, University of Southampton
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/199956
2023-02-16T05:58:22Z
2023-02-16T05:58:22Z
Stop tossing your spent vapes and e-cigs: you’re breeding a new waste pandemic
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/510447/original/file-20230216-24-om5cn6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">shutterstock</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/disposable-ecigarettes-different-flavors-pink-concept-2058505280">shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Vaping, or using electronic cigarettes, not only pollutes the surrounding air, it also creates a new contaminated e-waste stream.</p>
<p>Australian waste management authorities are just beginning to tackle this problem, as schools’ stockpiles of confiscated vapes continue to grow. As researchers of issues to do with the so-called circular economy, we take a keen interest in how products can be safely and successfully reused and recycled, rather than being thrown away. </p>
<p>After years of battling the scourge of cigarette butts, Clean Up Australia’s latest <a href="https://www.cleanup.org.au/rubbish-report">National Rubbish Report</a>, released today, reveals cigarette butts are no longer number one on the list of most commonly littered items. Soft plastics have become public enemy number one instead. </p>
<p>But the rate of growth in vaping suggests an even more challenging battle lies ahead. Clean Up Australia says e-cigarettes “appear to be even more damaging to the environment than cigarette butts” as they “present a <a href="https://www.cleanup.org.au/e-cigarettes">triple threat to the environment</a>: plastic waste, electronic waste and hazardous waste”.</p>
<h2>What is vaping?</h2>
<p>A vaping device, also called a vape, is an electronic device that releases an aerosol that users inhale. The vapour may contain nicotine (not always), flavourings, and other substances. </p>
<p>Since their invention in 2003, vapes and e-cigarettes have been marketed as healthier alternatives to tobacco cigarettes, and as a possible stepping stone to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34519354/">quitting smoking</a>. </p>
<p>Vaping, however, has <a href="https://www.lung.org/quit-smoking/e-cigarettes-vaping/impact-of-e-cigarettes-on-lung">health risks</a> and <a href="https://www.undo.org/environmental-impact/vape-waste-is-toxic-waste">environmental consequences</a>. </p>
<h2>A growing trend</h2>
<p>The number of people vaping worldwide was expected to reach a <a href="https://www.euromonitor.com/article/growth-vapour-products">record high of 55 million</a> in 2021, up from 7 million in 2011, according to Euromonitor International. </p>
<p>Globally, the <a href="https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/5735415/e-cigarettes-global-market-report">vaping market</a> is expected to reach US$38.5 billion by 2026. </p>
<p>The 2019 National Drug Strategy Household Survey found fewer Australians were smoking tobacco daily, while the <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/illicit-use-of-drugs/national-drug-strategy-household-survey-2019/contents/summary">use of e-cigarettes was increasing</a>. From the survey results, the <a href="https://www.athra.org.au/blog/2020/07/22/over-500000-vapers-in-australia-now-according-to-government-study/">Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association</a> calculated that 520,000 people vaped that year (2.5% of the population aged 14 or over). </p>
<p>Australian vaping rates are catching up to those in other Western countries, despite attempts from health authorities and professional bodies to dissuade vaping. </p>
<p>National <a href="https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/-/media/epa/corporate-site/resources/litter/vaping-device-use-and-recovery-systems.pdf?la=en&hash=1146A541D489CDD6C5B7D3E93A746CBEC678DFB6">product sales increased</a> from $28.3 million in 2015 to $98.1 million in 2020. </p>
<p>The growing number of users corresponds with a mounting pile of trash in our environment.</p>
<h2>Trash or treasure</h2>
<p>It is estimated that two disposable vapes are thrown away every second in the United Kingdom, according to a <a href="https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2022-07-15/rise-of-single-use-vapes-sending-tonnes-of-lithium-to-landfill">joint investigation by several British media outlets</a>. </p>
<p>Millions of disposable vapes that could be recycled are ending up in landfill across the world. Yet they contain lithium, a metal in high demand. Roughly <a href="https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/11/26/two-e-cigarettes-are-thrown-away-every-second-in-the-uk-what-damage-do-they-do#:%7E:text=E%2Dcigarettes%20aren't%20being%20recycled&text=On%20average%2C%20they%20contain%200.15,batteries%20inside%201%2C200%20electric%20vehicles.">1,200 electric vehicle batteries</a> could be made from the lithium in discarded vapes and e-cigarettes in one year. </p>
<p>While some <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/vaping-ban-news-lung-foundation-campaign-ecigarettes-exclusive/665a2417-6b2e-4a05-8046-1c033c2f1122">advocate banning these products</a>, others call for <a href="https://www.cleanup.org.au/e-cigarettes">better recycling - or the end of disposable vapes</a> in favour of reusable products. That’s because recycling such a complex product makes reusable, rather than disposable devices preferable. </p>
<p>Scott Butler, executive director of the UK-based electrics recycling company Material Focus told <a href="https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2022-07-15/rise-of-single-use-vapes-sending-tonnes-of-lithium-to-landfill">The Bureau of Investigative Journalism</a> that when vapes go to landfill they effectively dump plastics, poisons, nicotine salts, heavy metals, lead, mercury, and flammable lithium-ion batteries into the environment. </p>
<p>“The challenge is that people don’t really think about what a vape is made of, but what it does for them,” he says. </p>
<p>In the absence of recycling, vapes and e-cigarettes pose a serious risk. Impacts may include the <a href="https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clinical/many-e-cigarette-vaping-liquids-contain-toxic-chem">leaking or aerosol transport of toxic substances from e-liquids</a>, <a href="https://www.cleanaway.com.au/sustainable-future/waste-fire-safety/">fires caused by lithium-ion batteries</a>, <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2016-07-06-should-you-be-concerned-about-your-vapes-batteries-leaking.html">the leaking of corrosive electrolytes from batteries</a>, and <a href="https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/-/media/epa/corporate-site/resources/litter/vaping-device-use-and-recovery-systems.pdf?la=en&hash=1146A541D489CDD6C5B7D3E93A746CBEC678DFB6">the leaching of heavy metals from batteries</a>. </p>
<h2>Revving up recycling schemes</h2>
<p>In most parts of the world, vapes are classified as waste electrical and electronic equipment. Consumers are encouraged to dispose of these devices at a household recycling centre, the local pharmacy where they purchased the device, or the local community recycling centre. </p>
<p>Recently the vaping industry has taken steps to help recycle its own waste devices. <a href="https://www.gaiaca.com/how-to-dispose-vape-pen-batteries/">Gaiaca</a> and <a href="https://www.terracycle.com/en-CA/pages/nrp-press-ca">Terracycle</a>, for example, dismantle, clean, and convert vaping devices into raw materials for use in new products in New Zealand and Canada. The US vape industry has launched recycling schemes such as DotMod, Shanlaan, Dovpo and Vinn. A battery reuse program is one example of the work done by Innokin.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/protection/waste/product-stewardship/products-schemes/television-computer-recycling-scheme#:%7E:text=The%20National%20Television%20and%20Computer,printers%2C%20computer%20parts%20and%20peripherals.">National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme (NCTRS)</a> and similar e-waste programs are popular in Australia but there is no national disposable vape recycling program. However, several well-established companies and local councils have launched ground-level recycling programs for items not covered by the NTCRS, including vaping devices. </p>
<p>Some of Australia’s community pharmacies are equipped with <a href="https://returnmed.com.au/about-us/">Return Unwanted Medicines (RUM)</a> bins. Currently, nicotine-containing vaping products are only available through prescriptions in Australia, so RUM bins can be used as a safe disposal channel. Queensland, for example, allows nicotine vaping products to be taken to community pharmacies or public health units. This includes the vaping devices themselves, not just the unused e-vape liquid. The RUM bins are used to collect the devices, which are then picked up by recycling organisations that are mostly contracted by vapes manufacturers for sorting and disassembling.</p>
<h2>Raising awareness</h2>
<p>In the absence of proper management, single-use vapes and e-cigarettes are more hazardous than single-use plastics because of the chemicals they contain. </p>
<p>Many vape users are unaware that disposable vapes can or should be recycled. In many instances, vapers are provided with basic information about vaping disposal and personal safety in relation to the hazardous materials contained in the devices, as observed by the <a href="https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/-/media/epa/corporate-site/resources/litter/vaping-device-use-and-recovery-systems.pdf?la=en&hash=1146A541D489CDD6C5B7D3E93A746CBEC678DFB6">NSW Environmental Protection Authority</a>. Since many vaping devices are designed to be single use, they cannot be easily disassembled. </p>
<p>It is important to provide users with information regarding the public and private pick-up services that can assist by collecting and disassembling vape and e-cigarette waste into separate components. This involves removing the battery, rinsing the liquid tank and its components, and recycling each of the materials. More recycling initiatives are required by leading companies in the vape industry.</p>
<p>Designing vapes and e-cigarettes for the circular economy has the potential to reduce the environmental impact. Ideally, priority would be given to reusing vapes and e-cigarettes over recycling them. </p>
<p>Vape waste should be considered a resource, for the lithium they contain. Users, policymakers, and the industry must work together to create sustainable disposal channels for vapes and e-cigarettes. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/my-teens-vaping-what-should-i-say-3-expert-tips-on-how-to-approach-the-talk-196205">My teen's vaping. What should I say? 3 expert tips on how to approach 'the talk'</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/199956/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The vaping craze sweeping the globe is leaving a legacy of contaiminated e-waste in landfill while waste management authorities scramble to set up recycling schemes.
Michael Odei Erdiaw-Kwasie, Lecturer in Sustainability| Lead, Circular Economy Research Group, Charles Darwin University
Matthew Abunyewah, Research Fellow, The Australasian Centre for Resilience Implementation for Sustainable Communities, Charles Darwin University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/192619
2022-11-08T09:04:59Z
2022-11-08T09:04:59Z
A dumpsite is no place for a child: study shows Nigeria’s young waste pickers are at risk
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491263/original/file-20221024-1609-y8vdtg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C0%2C2588%2C1715&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Children are among waste pickers exposed to hazards while working at the Olusosun landfill. Photo by: Lionel Healing/AFP.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/people-sift-through-rubbish-at-a-dump-17-april-2007-in-news-photo/73905533?phrase=olusosun%20dumpsite%20Lagos&adppopup=true">from www,gettyimages.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Olusosun landfill sprawls across 100 acres (40ha) in Nigeria’s largest city, Lagos. Initially situated at the outskirts of the city, it is now at the city’s centre due to urban encroachment. Olusosun is often described as <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12011-021-02758-3">Nigeria’s biggest landfill</a>; it receives over one million tonnes of <a href="https://owlcation.com/stem/15-of-the-Worlds-Largest-Landfills">waste</a> annually. Most of this is electronic waste (such as lamps, televisions and laptops), municipal solid waste and construction waste.</p>
<p>Access to the dumpsite is not restricted. Waste pickers can go in and look for recyclable materials that can be resold. In most Nigerian cities, waste picking represents a vital survival strategy for the <a href="https://www.ijern.com/journal/March-2014/26.pdf">poor</a>.</p>
<p>It’s not only adults who operate as waste pickers. As we outline in our recent <a href="https://thescipub.com/abstract/10.3844/ajessp.2022.69.80">study</a>, children are also working at Olusosun. </p>
<p>We surveyed 150 of these child waste pickers; most were boys aged between 13 and 17. More than half (58.7%) of the children were not attending school. They worked at the dumpsite daily for social and economic reasons and their labour was physically taxing. They reported being bitten by insects and snakes. They slipped and sometimes fell. Many suffered from chronic headaches. For this they earned between N500 (US$1.20) and N1,600 (US$3.85) a day. </p>
<p>The use of a child for forced or <a href="https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=64999">exploitative labour</a> under section 28 (1) (a) of the Child’s Rights Act is an offence punishable with a fine or imprisonment. But in the informal sector of urban areas, Nigeria’s government has not made serious efforts to enforce this law to protect children.</p>
<p>A concerted effort is needed by government, civil society, and international organisations to eradicate waste picking by children. Financial aid could be offered to the children’s families so that they don’t feel they have no option but to let children work. And free, compulsory primary and secondary education is key to keeping children in the classroom rather than working.</p>
<h2>Huge health and safety risks</h2>
<p>Access to Olusosun landfill is unregulated, but there are informal systems in place to manage who can and cannot engage in waste picking. Our <a href="https://doi.org/10.3844/ajessp.2022.69.80">survey</a> confirmed that before any person could pick waste on this site, they had to register with an association. Unregistered people were not allowed to work on the site and if they did without permission, there would be a quarrel. </p>
<p>An informal association formed by the operators oversees the registration process. It is funded by membership fees and only registers adults. But once they are registered, those adults can hire children to do the work for them. They do this, we were told, to keep their costs low because they could pay children less than they would pay adults.</p>
<p>Information we obtained showed that child waste pickers’ minimum daily income was N500 (US$1.20); the maximum was N1,600 (US$3.85). The average daily revenue was N1,180 (US$2.84) – more than N30,000 (about US$72.20) per month. Although this amount is higher than the <a href="https://doi.org/10.3844/ajessp.2022.69.80">national minimum monthly wage</a> (N30,000) in the public sector, the work and the environment are hazardous and detrimental to the children’s health.</p>
<p>Children usually sorted the waste manually, with no protective equipment like gloves and face masks. They operated in an unsheltered environment regardless of conditions like rain, hot sun and cold weather. These conditions had resulted in gastrointestinal illnesses, skin diseases, stings and bites from insects. Many talked about suffering regular headaches.</p>
<p>Child waste pickers were also at risk of being pricked by sharp objects such as syringes, needles, surgical blades and broken bottles.</p>
<p>Despite all these hazards, the children continued working at the landfill because of chronic poverty. Some of the children’s parents were waste
pickers themselves. Many came from areas without <a href="https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/469581-less-than-40-of-lagos-residents-have-access-to-water-governor.html">potable water</a>, sanitation facilities or basic healthcare services. </p>
<h1>Recommendations</h1>
<p>In addressing the use of children for forced or exploitative labour, integrated approaches have
<a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5984577fe5274a1707000067/105-Interventions-on-Child-Labour-in-South-Asia.pdf">demonstrated</a> the most success in South Asian countries. (Afghanistan is an important exception.) These approaches can include, for example, conditional cash transfers combined with interventions such as providing education and healthcare services. </p>
<p>Thus, a pragmatic regulatory framework should be developed whereby different actors (government, civil society and international organisations) focus on eliminating the practice of waste picking by children. Such efforts require strong political backing and financial support. </p>
<p>Such a regulatory framework should also make provision for financial aid to the children’s parents through a direct assistance programme. </p>
<p>There is a need for a well-thought-out plan by the government to introduce free and compulsory primary and secondary education for every child. Making education compulsory, especially at the secondary level, is a way to keep children learning and, ideally, setting themselves up for safe, decently-paid future work.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/192619/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amos Oluwole Taiwo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Employing children as waste pickers lowers costs but exposes them to hazards.
Amos Oluwole Taiwo, Lecturer, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria, Olabisi Onabanjo University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/188954
2022-08-22T16:00:13Z
2022-08-22T16:00:13Z
‘Liberate the tractors’: the right to repair movement that’s regaining control of our devices
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480316/original/file-20220822-71718-67fm5m.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=206%2C4%2C2788%2C1913&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A software 'jailbreak' gave US farmers the power to repair their vehicles.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/john-deere-tractor-disc-cultivator-vaderstad-2042555513">Maksim Safaniuk/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The software that runs John Deere tractors was successfully “<a href="https://www.kaspersky.com/resource-center/definitions/what-is-jailbreaking">jailbroken</a>” at this year’s <a href="https://defcon.org/">DEF CON</a> hacker convention, enabling farmers to repair or retune their equipment without engaging with the company that sold them their vehicles. </p>
<p>The hacker involved, who calls himself Sick Codes, was responding directly to US farmers’ <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-03-05/farmers-fight-john-deere-over-who-gets-to-fix-an-800-000-tractor">long-standing concerns</a> that their “smart” tractors are run on software that only John Deere can access to repair. Smart tractors, including those manufactured by John Deere, are also <a href="https://aea.uk.com/industry-insight/tractor-statistics/">widely used</a> in the UK. </p>
<p>Sick Codes’ jailbreak was undertaken to “<a href="https://www.wired.com/story/john-deere-tractor-jailbreak-defcon-2022/">liberate the tractors</a>”, he said. John Deere responded in a <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/john-deere-tractor-jailbreak-defcon-2022/">statement to Wired magazine</a> that it works closely with cybersecurity partners and also “embraces the broader ethical hacking community” to ensure its security capabilities remain industry-leading. In March 2022, the manufacturer responded to pressure from farmers with the <a href="https://www.deere.com/en/news/all-news/john-deere-expands-access-to-self-repair-resources/">announcement</a> that it would make more of its software repair tools available to customers and mechanics from next year. </p>
<p>The smart tractor is just one of thousands of machines and devices that have come to feature an <a href="https://www.verdict.co.uk/what-is-the-internet-of-things/">additional layer</a> of software on top of their traditional functions. By maintaining control over that software, manufacturers are afforded power over our devices long after the moment we purchase them.</p>
<p>Hacking tractor software is the latest example of the fightback against this power, called the “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/23/climate/right-to-repair.html">right to repair</a>” movement. Motivated by consumer rights and environmental concerns, it’s a movement that’s gathering pace worldwide. But our research shows the power remains firmly in manufacturers’ hands – for now.</p>
<h2>Consumer exploitation</h2>
<p>Owners of smart or “Internet of Things” (IoT) devices – from smartphones to internet-connected <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/product-recommendations/lifestyle/best-smart-coffee-maker-machine-1027282/">coffee makers</a> – may have experienced similar frustrations to the owners of John Deere tractors. </p>
<p>To encourage customers to purchase their latest device, some tech firms effectively shut down older models by withdrawing the digital support services that keep them up and running. Sonos, the smart speaker company, was <a href="https://www.theregister.com/2020/01/24/sonos_support_legacy_speakers/">forced to backtrack</a> in 2020 after criticism of its plans to <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/electronics/sonos-legacy-speakers-guide">phase out</a> its older speakers in this way. In an open letter addressing customers’ outrage, Sonos CEO Patrick Spence admitted that “we did not get this right from the start”.</p>
<p>Additional layers of software also allow manufacturers to control their customers’ access to features built in to their products. For instance, BMW now requires new customers to purchase a subscription to use the <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/12/23204950/bmw-subscriptions-microtransactions-heated-seats-feature">heated seats</a> installed in the vehicles they own.</p>
<p>Many smart devices are purposefully designed to have short lives and to be quickly usurped by newer models, a manufacturing strategy termed <a href="https://durabilitymatters.com/planned-obsolescence/">planned obsolescence</a>. Other practices, such as adjusting a smartphone’s battery performance via its operating system, have led to accusations of deliberate <a href="https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-to-turn-off-battery-throttling-on-your-iphone/">battery throttling</a> by manufacturers to increase sales.</p>
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<p>Manufacturers argue that their control over internet-connected products is necessary to protect consumers from cybersecurity threats. But that control sometimes seems to exploit their customers. It’s also a key factor in the increase in the number of devices going to landfill as electronic waste, or <a href="https://globalewaste.org/what-is-e-waste/">e-waste</a>, and the extraction of more and more of the <a href="https://www.salon.com/2022/05/11/rare-earth-metal-ewaste-mining/">planet’s precious resources</a>. </p>
<p>In 2019 alone, the world generated 53.6 million tons of e-waste, a figure which is expected to grow to <a href="https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Environment/Documents/Toolbox/GEM_2020_def.pdf">74.7 million tons by 2030</a>. Across Europe, less than <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/T2020_RT130/bookmark/table?lang=en&bookmarkid=a69be825-957e-473c-a81f-f02866dc9141">40% of e-waste</a> is subject to <a href="https://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/id/eprint/131084/1/Stead_Coulton_Lindley_Coulton._2019._The_Little_Book_of_Sustainability_for_the_Internet_of_Things.pdf">sustainable recovery</a> such as material recycling and reusable component harvesting. </p>
<p>By 2030, it is estimated there will be more than <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1194701/iot-connected-devices-use-case/">25 billion</a> active smart devices worldwide. Many of these will be destined for landfill within a few short years if current manufacturing practices persist.</p>
<h2>The right to repair</h2>
<p>To address these issues, campaign groups like <a href="https://repair.eu/">Repair.EU</a>, <a href="https://www.repair.org/">Repair.org</a> and <a href="https://therestartproject.org/">The Restart Project</a> have successfully lobbied governments to introduce “<a href="https://www.which.co.uk/news/2021/06/new-right-to-repair-laws-introduced-what-do-they-actually-mean-for-you/">right to repair</a>” legislation for electronic products. These laws were first announced at the <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/environment/circular-economy/pdf%2520/new_circular_economy_action_plan.pdf">EU level</a> in 2020 and came into effect across the <a href="https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9302/CBP-9302.pdf">UK</a> in the summer of 2021. </p>
<p>On the surface, the legislation seemingly tilts the balance of power into the hands of consumers. The law encourages manufacturers to be more sustainable by designing their electronic products to be easier to repair. It also compels them to supply spare parts for ten years after their products’ initial production.</p>
<p>Yet the reality is that manufacturers still retain the controlling stake. The current right to repair only extends to a <a href="https://www.which.co.uk/news/2021/06/new-right-to-repair-laws-introduced-what-do-they-actually-mean-for-you/">limited number of products</a>, such as washing machines, dishwashers, and refrigerators. It does not include smart, IoT devices, despite the growing volume of IoT e-waste.</p>
<h2>Power to the people?</h2>
<p>Appearing to support the right to repair, Apple initiated a product repair programme in 2022. But the firm loans its repair equipment to customers at a high cost and continues to promote <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz2R7-zTdKk">serialisation</a>, whereby only approved, expensive components can be used for repairs. The repair equipment itself has also been <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/21/23079058/apple-self-service-iphone-repair-kit-hands-on">criticised</a> for being cumbersome and difficult to use.</p>
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<p>In a setback for right to repair activists, the UK government decided in June 2022 <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-61720276">not to follow Europe</a> and sign up to a common standard for the design of USB ports, which aims to reduce the tangle of different wires we all own. That decision will only bolster the lack of <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchapparchitecture/definition/interoperability">interoperability</a> we experience between different devices and will hinder our ability to reduce IoT e-waste in the coming years.</p>
<p>Most importantly, our research has revealed, the general population lacks the capacity to repair their devices – in part because the tools to do so have been withheld from them for so long.</p>
<h2>Community repair shops</h2>
<p>To address this critical issue, we started <a href="https://twitter.com/RepairShop2049">The Repair Shop 2049</a> project to investigate how ordinary people could learn to repair their own devices. With this research, we have sought to challenge the status quo of manufacturer control by developing an open, citizen-led IoT repair centre in Blackburn, UK.</p>
<p>Collaborating closely with <a href="https://www.makingrooms.org/">The Making Rooms</a>, Blackburn’s public makerspace and creative hub for digital innovation, our work is seeking to empower ordinary citizens with the knowledge, tools and confidence to repair and reuse IoT devices within their communities.</p>
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<p>Our project involves makers, repairers, council leaders, consumers and manufacturing representatives. Our workshops have so far revealed a number of barriers: chiefly, a lack of public awareness of the right to repair, a shortage of practical expertise, and the friction generated by manufacturers’ presiding grip on device repair. However, there is also a deep enthusiasm for the project’s vision among the Blackburn community.</p>
<p>The upcoming <a href="https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/news/fixing-the-future-the-right-to-repair-and-equal-iot">Fixing the Future</a> project will allow us to continue exploring local IoT repair initiatives alongside The Making Rooms, our research colleagues from Edinburgh, Nottingham, and Napier universities, and our new partners at Which? and <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/rd">BBC R&D</a>.</p>
<p>Whether liberating tractors or granting consumers the ability to fix their phones, the right to repair movement aims to hand power back to the owners of devices. But by aligning with <a href="https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/europe2019s-consumption-in-a-circular/benefits-of-longer-lasting-electronics">circular economy</a> principles, the movement can also help communities reduce e-waste and contribute towards a sustainable, <a href="https://cop25.mma.gob.cl/en/climate-ambition-alliance/">net-zero future</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188954/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Stead receives funding for The Repair Shop 2049 project from the EPSRC ESRC Impact Accelerator Digital Futures scheme at Lancaster University.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul Coulton receives funding from EPSRC for project Experiencing the Future Mundane and Fixing the Future. </span></em></p>
From tractors to smartphones, consumers may own their devices but the manufacturers still often hold the keys.
Michael Stead, Lecturer in Sustainable Design Futures, Lancaster University
Paul Coulton, Senior Lecturer in Design, Lancaster University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/177493
2022-02-24T13:05:27Z
2022-02-24T13:05:27Z
Families count the costs as big tech fails to offer cheap phone, laptop and fridge repairs
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/448062/original/file-20220223-13-1mqhdjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Tech companies do not make it easy or affordable to get products repaired.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">iJasper/Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Each year 50 million tonnes <a href="https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_A_New_Circular_Vision_for_Electronics.pdf">of electronic and electrical waste</a> is produced globally. A big part of this waste results from “product obsolescence” – the term used for phones, computers, fridges and other goods becoming unusable because they are too difficult or expensive to repair.</p>
<p>Companies drive down their costs by using easily accessible and cheaper materials and restricting software updates on computers and phones as they get older. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14606925.2017.1352879">Apple</a>, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652618315695?casa_token=naXMSBWinhgAAAAA:bZXIaE8FlTnEF70d0VwT8TYeijQkKf7QYj_SnWIndNG8WrTfh0SqqL_Sqx5pD_m2YMb4_zYi5aMi">Microsoft</a> and other electric and electronics firms also continue to sell products that have <a href="https://www.michaelwest.com.au/planned-obsolescence-how-big-tech-manipulates-consumers-to-spend-again-and-again/">short lifespans</a> by making parts and repairs costly. </p>
<p>In California, where a right-to-repair law is being introduced, it’s estimated that families could save <a href="https://abc7news.com/right-to-repair-sb-983-electronics-do-it-yourself-repairs/11574258/">US$330 per year</a> (£243) on being able to repair rather than replace electronics.</p>
<p>Right-to-repair laws have been or are also being passed around the world, in <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2021A00054">Australia</a>, the <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/QANDA_19_5889">EU</a>, <a href="https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/JORFTEXT000041553759/">France</a>, <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2021/745/contents/made">UK</a> and the US states of <a href="https://malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2012/Chapter368">Massachusetts</a> and <a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/S4104">New York</a>. But these laws do not go far enough.</p>
<p>Most of these recently introduced laws cover domestic electronic devices such as washing machines and fridges, but only France’s law covers devices such as smartphones and laptops. </p>
<p>So far, smartphone and laptop manufacturers have done little to react to the environmental waste problem. Apple, for example, only launched a self-service repair programme after years of consumer and <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/235bf272-0a3c-4603-8f5c-46d5c76a0d3c">legal pressures</a>. There are examples of <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353685307_FROM_PLANNED_OBSOLESCENCE_TO_THE_CIRCULAR_ECONOMY_IN_THE_SMARTPHONE_INDUSTRY_AN_EVOLUTION_OF_STRATEGIES_EMBODIED_IN_PRODUCT_FEATURES">small-scale initiatives</a> by companies that allow consumers to repair or upgrade their smartphones, but these need to be established more widely.</p>
<p>The requirement to provide spare parts for the first time should, in theory, prolong the life of appliances and reduce the need for new products. But, of course, this will conflict with companies’ imperative to continue to increase profits. What is disappointing is that the current laws don’t give consumers the right to have all products repaired. (Depending on the law, tech firms are only obliged to offer information on products that are easier to fix, spare parts or advice on repairs.) Some right-to-repair regulations also fall short in that they put too many hurdles in consumers’ way, including restrictions on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210716153259id_/https://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=11398&context=ilj">who may repair</a> the product, and that it does not address <a href="https://lucris.lub.lu.se/ws/portalfiles/portal/63585584/Svensson_et_al._Going_Green_CARE_INNOVATION_2018_PREPRINT.pdf">pricing of repairs</a>.</p>
<p>Electronic waste is bad for the <a href="https://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/resources/updates/the-growing-environmental-risks-of-e-waste/#scroll-nav__2">environment</a>, and is also at odds with many law and policy aims that exist on, for example, <a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-3-030-23176-7_46-1.pdf">zero waste</a> and <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ojls/article/41/3/719/6130120?login=true">circular economies</a> (moving towards the reuse of products, rather than throwing them away).</p>
<p>To make the right to repair more accessible and avoid further mountains of waste, tech companies can do far more, including:</p>
<p><strong>1. Repairs must be faster</strong></p>
<p>Sometimes firms are too slow with repairing products, causing people to throw them out. Some of the time frame requirements under the right-to-repair laws to repair devices are also impractical for people who may need a product urgently. For example, under EU law the delivery of spare parts for refrigerators has to be <a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2019.315.01.0187.01.ENG&toc=OJ:L:2019:315:TOC">within 15 working days</a>. Consumers are more likely to replace a refrigerator than wait 15 days while food in their fridge or freezer is decaying. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A huge dump of old electronics." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/448063/original/file-20220223-19-qyr8e2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/448063/original/file-20220223-19-qyr8e2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/448063/original/file-20220223-19-qyr8e2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/448063/original/file-20220223-19-qyr8e2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/448063/original/file-20220223-19-qyr8e2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/448063/original/file-20220223-19-qyr8e2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/448063/original/file-20220223-19-qyr8e2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Mountains of electronic waste are building up around the world.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">MortenB/Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong>2. Spare parts must be cheaper</strong></p>
<p>Spare parts need to be more affordable and easier to get hold of. Manufacturers could take a leaf out of the automotive sectors’ book where many new and reconditioned parts are made available to consumers in an <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095965260900078X?casa_token=akSMDL6xCf0AAAAA:829CXK8z6QXKzPr1p7MxASMDx59TR4tNuxte506aBBloCfishu0hxDQOLNBJn0hWKsXG8VZzjnz7#sec2">established market</a>.</p>
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<em>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/design-and-repair-must-work-together-to-undo-our-legacy-of-waste-119932">Design and repair must work together to undo our legacy of waste</a>
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<p><strong>3. Access to spare parts must not be limited</strong></p>
<p>The UK’s <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2021/745/contents/made">right-to-repair regulations</a>, for example, set out that <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2021/745/schedule/6/made">professional repairers</a> should have access to parts rather than consumers, which will add labour cost to the price of repairs, which might sometimes be easy for customers to do themselves. There is not much point in the right to repair if it remains much cheaper to replace a broken product rather than to fix it.</p>
<p><strong>4. Products must be designed for repair</strong></p>
<p>Technology and electronics companies need different business models to move customers and retailers away from a throwaway culture, where it is easier and cheaper to buy new than repair. Products also need to be designed to <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/3/850/htm">allow for repair</a>. This needs to be supported by a supply chain that moves products from customers back to manufacturers or sellers for repairs. </p>
<p><strong>5. Consumers must be given more information</strong></p>
<p>Constantly upgrading to the next new phone or television has become an <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/spark/we-re-trapped-in-an-upgrade-cycle-whether-we-like-it-or-not-1.5917265">accepted</a> way of life for many people. If people are to change their behaviour, tech and domestic appliance companies need to promote awareness of repair options, the benefits of repair, and how to go about repairing (for example, providing an easily accessible list of professional repairers).</p>
<p>The first steps have been taken on the right-to-repair journey, but there is still a long way to go. Laws need to be tightened and tech and electronics companies must do more to break established consumption and production patterns.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/177493/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Benny Tjahjono receives funding from UKRI (EPSRC, ESRC, InnovateUK). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katrien Steenmans does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Tech companies still make it difficult to get gadgets repaired.
Katrien Steenmans, Assistant Professor in Law, Coventry University
Benny Tjahjono, Professor of Sustainability & Supply Chain Management, Coventry University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/172961
2021-12-03T00:57:57Z
2021-12-03T00:57:57Z
The Productivity Commission has released proposals to bolster Australians’ right to repair. But do they go far enough?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435477/original/file-20211203-19-1bemziq.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=29%2C300%2C4830%2C2909&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>2021 has been a milestone year for advocacy for a right to repair. In November, Apple announced its <a href="https://www.apple.com/au/newsroom/2021/11/apple-announces-self-service-repair/">Self Service Repair</a> program, through which it will offer parts, tools and manuals for consumers to repair their iPhones.</p>
<p>The announcement was cautiously welcomed by advocates, who have highlighted the company’s <a href="https://grist.org/technology/apple-finally-admits-its-products-are-difficult-to-repair/">lacklustre record</a> on repairability, and <a href="https://repair.eu/news/apple-uses-trademark-law-to-strengthen-its-monopoly-on-repair/">monopolistic strategies</a> that force consumers to seek repairs at registered outlets.</p>
<p>The Australian Productivity Commission has also released the findings of a <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/repair#report">major inquiry</a> that found “significant and unnecessary barriers” to consumers’ right to repair. It has recommended a range of measures on this front.</p>
<p>So what is a right to repair? And to what extent do the new recommendations address consumers’ rights, and manufacturers’ responsibilities?</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435223/original/file-20211202-15-1ougxzc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435223/original/file-20211202-15-1ougxzc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435223/original/file-20211202-15-1ougxzc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=675&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435223/original/file-20211202-15-1ougxzc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=675&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435223/original/file-20211202-15-1ougxzc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=675&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435223/original/file-20211202-15-1ougxzc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=848&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435223/original/file-20211202-15-1ougxzc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=848&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435223/original/file-20211202-15-1ougxzc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=848&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Productivity Commission’s proposed reforms to overcome barriers to repair.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Right to Repair Productivity Commission Inquiry Report Overview and Recommendations p5</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The Right to Repair movement</h2>
<p>Over the past decade, a coalition of tech entrepreneurs, farmers, repair enthusiasts, vehicle owners, designers and environmentalists have formed a global <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-10/act-right-to-repair-movement-growing-in-australia/100283348">Right to Repair movement</a>. They argue that a right to tinker is essential to owning technological devices.</p>
<p>The movement pushes against barriers such as commercial strategies that limit spare part availability, proprietary fittings, confusing warranty conditions and the increasing sophistication of products. Repair is also increasingly recognised as an urgent response to reducing <a href="https://theconversation.com/apples-iphone-12-comes-without-a-charger-a-smart-waste-reduction-move-or-clever-cash-grab-148189">global e-waste</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/us-and-eu-laws-show-australias-right-to-repair-moment-is-well-overdue-127323">US and EU laws show Australia's Right to Repair moment is well overdue</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The recommendations</h2>
<p>The commission has stopped short of recommending a clear “right to repair”, which advocates may see as a missed opportunity.</p>
<p>That said, many recommendations have significant potential to ensure consumers are provided durable products in the first place, or can get them repaired, replaced or refunded under existing <a href="https://www.choice.com.au/shopping/consumer-rights-and-advice/your-rights/buying-guides/know-your-consumer-rights">Australian Consumer Law consumer guarantees</a>. If enacted, consumers will likely benefit from requirements for:</p>
<ul>
<li>product package labelling that sets out how durable or repairable a product is </li>
<li>warranties that say consumers won’t lose their rights to a repair, replacement or refund just because they used an unauthorised repairer or spare parts, and</li>
<li>software updates to be provided for a reasonable time for products with embedded software. </li>
</ul>
<p>The proposed product labelling scheme would be particularly useful on bigger-ticket products such as washing machines. Properly implemented labels would allow consumers to compare products based on durability before buying them – similar to labels disclosing a product’s electricity or water-use efficiency. </p>
<p>Another significant set of recommendations would make it much easier for consumers to enforce their existing rights. This includes the introduction of more dispute resolution options as alternatives to making complaints directly to a court or a tribunal. They propose: </p>
<ul>
<li>the ability for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to seek “pecuniary penalties” (a type of non-criminal fine) against suppliers and manufacturers</li>
<li>a “super complaints” process that will allow consumer organisations to take action on behalf of consumers, and</li>
<li>enforceable decisions by state and territory fair trading agencies.</li>
</ul>
<p>There were also positive proposals for independent repairers, particularly in removing certain barriers to repair posed by the <a href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdb/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca1968133/">Copyright Act</a>. The commission recommended a “fair dealing” exception that would allow repairers to copy and share repair information, as well as a ban on contractual terms that attempt to restrict these rights.</p>
<p>Also, diagnosis and repair information is currently often hidden behind “digital locks” in devices, or <a href="https://smartcopying.edu.au/glossary/technological-protection-measure-tpm/.">technological protection measures</a> that aim to prevent outsider access and copying. The commission recommended changes to the Copyright Act’s technological protection measures regime, which would let repairers access this “locked” information.</p>
<p>Concerns raised about premature obsolescence in devices were doubted, and the commission didn’t support proposals to directly prevent this. It also wasn’t convinced competition in repair markets other than agricultural machinery were being hampered by manufacturer restrictions. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/are-our-phones-really-designed-to-slow-down-over-time-experts-look-at-the-evidence-170962">Are our phones really designed to slow down over time? Experts look at the evidence</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The commission merely recommended evaluating an existing information sharing scheme for motor vehicle repair, and further inquiry into repair markets for mobiles and tablets, medical devices and watches. </p>
<p>In the context of the international debate on the right to repair – which has <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7m8mx/john-deere-promised-farmers-it-would-make-tractors-easy-to-repair-it-lied">centred</a> on farmers’ rights to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-19/right-to-repair-tractors-taken-up-by-the-accc/12156196">fix their tractors</a> – the most radical proposal has been for the agricultural machinery repair market. </p>
<p>The commission recommended mandatory access to repair information and diagnostic software tools for all owners and repairers in this market “on fair and reasonable commercial terms”.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435480/original/file-20211203-25-1w1yh1l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Tractors on farm crop" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435480/original/file-20211203-25-1w1yh1l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435480/original/file-20211203-25-1w1yh1l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435480/original/file-20211203-25-1w1yh1l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435480/original/file-20211203-25-1w1yh1l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435480/original/file-20211203-25-1w1yh1l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435480/original/file-20211203-25-1w1yh1l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435480/original/file-20211203-25-1w1yh1l.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The agricultural machinery repair market has long been a battleground in the right to repair debate.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>E-waste and the climate transition</h2>
<p>Importantly, the commission considered right to repair issues in the context of wider e-waste concerns. Here the recommendations were that:</p>
<ul>
<li>e-waste products which had been repaired and reused should be counted towards annual targets of the <a href="https://www.awe.gov.au/environment/protection/waste/product-stewardship/products-schemes/television-computer-recycling-scheme">national TV and computer recycling scheme</a> and </li>
<li>the government should use more tracking devices to figure our where e-waste ends up.</li>
</ul>
<p>A striking feature of the report is the relatively brief treatment of “green” technologies. It notes the growing significance of solar waste, and that solar panels and lithium-ion batteries nearing their end of life will likely generate significant e-waste in coming years. Yet no specific recommendations are made for rights to repair renewable technologies. </p>
<p>It also had little to say about electric cars, despite the acknowledged repairability issues in the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/timabansal/2021/07/01/what-you-didnt-know-about-electric-vehicles-the-hidden-costs-to-you-and-the-environment/?sh=1116a74033e3">electric vehicle market</a>.</p>
<p>Overall, the recommendations will help propel debate on the right to repair. But focusing on encoding these rights in already established sectors risks obscuring important repair issues associated with transitioning to climate-friendly technologies.</p>
<p>These problems will only become more obvious, as more households adopt rooftop solar and electric vehicles become the norm.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/as-the-world-surges-ahead-on-electric-vehicle-policy-the-morrison-governments-new-strategy-leaves-australia-idling-in-the-garage-169824">As the world surges ahead on electric vehicle policy, the Morrison government's new strategy leaves Australia idling in the garage</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/172961/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Kearnes receives funding from the Australian Research Council. This research is supported by the UNSW Allens Hub for Technology, Law and Innovation, Right to Repair Stream. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kayleen Manwaring receives funding from the UNSW Allens Hub for Technology, Law and Innovation, Challenges for a Cyber-Physical World stream.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul Munro receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Roberta Pala and Shanil Samarakoon do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
A striking feature of the report is the relatively brief treatment of ‘green’ technologies.
Matthew Kearnes, Professor, Environment & Society, School of Humanities and Languages, UNSW Sydney
Kayleen Manwaring, Senior Lecturer, School of Private & Commercial Law, UNSW Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney
Paul Munro, Associate Professor in Human Geography, UNSW Sydney
Roberta Pala, Scientia PhD candidate in Science and Technology Studies, UNSW Sydney
Shanil Samarakoon, Lecturer, UNSW Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/162623
2021-06-17T11:37:28Z
2021-06-17T11:37:28Z
Bacteria can recover precious metals from electric vehicle batteries – here’s how
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/406765/original/file-20210616-3721-d7kuuk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2890%2C1799&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/ev-electric-car-silhouette-low-battery-1418790563">Paul Craft/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>There are more than 1.4 billion cars in the world today, and that number could <a href="https://www.carsguide.com.au/car-advice/how-many-cars-are-there-in-the-world-70629">double by 2036</a>. If all those cars burn petrol or diesel, the climate consequences will be dire. Electric cars emit <a href="https://www.energy.gov/eere/electricvehicles/reducing-pollution-electric-vehicles">fewer air pollutants</a> and if they’re powered by renewable energy, driving one wouldn’t add to the greenhouse gases warming Earth’s atmosphere.</p>
<hr>
<iframe id="noa-web-audio-player" style="border: none" src="https://embed-player.newsoveraudio.com/v4?key=x84olp&id=https://theconversation.com/bacteria-can-recover-precious-metals-from-electric-vehicle-batteries-heres-how-162623&bgColor=F5F5F5&color=D8352A&playColor=D8352A" width="100%" height="110px"></iframe>
<p><em>You can listen to more articles from The Conversation, narrated by Noa, <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/audio-narrated-99682">here</a>.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>But producing so many electric vehicles (often abbreviated to EVs) in a decade would cause a surge in demand for metals like lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese. These metals are essential for making EV batteries, but they’re <a href="https://rmis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/?page=crm-list-2020-e294f6">not found everywhere</a>. Most of the world’s lithium lies under <a href="https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2020/mcs2020-lithium.pdf">the Atacama Desert</a> in South America, where <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jun/14/electric-cost-lithium-mining-decarbonasation-salt-flats-chile?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other">mining threatens</a> local people and ecosystems.</p>
<p>Leading manufacturers of EVs need to keep import costs low and find a reliable source of these raw materials. Mining the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/science-environment-56678976">deep sea</a> is one option, but it <a href="https://theconversation.com/covid-19-made-deep-sea-mining-more-tempting-for-some-pacific-islands-this-could-be-a-problem-158550">could also damage</a> habitats and endanger wildlife. At the same time, waste electronics filled with precious metals are piling up in landfills and in some of the world’s poorest regions – with <a href="https://theconversation.com/global-electronic-waste-up-21-in-five-years-and-recycling-isnt-keeping-up-141997">2.5 million tonnes</a> added to the total each year.</p>
<p>EV batteries themselves only have a <a href="https://www.myev.com/research/ev-101/how-long-should-an-electric-cars-battery-last">shelf life</a> of eight to ten years. Lithium-ion batteries are currently recycled at a meagre rate of <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-019-0376-4#ref-CR2">less than 5%</a> in the EU. Instead of mining new sources of these metals, <a href="https://www.scycle.info/urban-mine-platform-online-available-now/">why not reuse</a> what’s already out there?</p>
<h2>The recycling economy</h2>
<p>The largest lithium-ion battery recyclers are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969721009803">based in China</a>. While recycling is often treated as an obligation that companies should be paid to do in North America and Europe, competition is so intense for dead batteries in China that recyclers are willing to pay to get their hands on them. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A pallet filled with rusted car batteries." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/406771/original/file-20210616-21-1jyptkv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/406771/original/file-20210616-21-1jyptkv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/406771/original/file-20210616-21-1jyptkv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/406771/original/file-20210616-21-1jyptkv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/406771/original/file-20210616-21-1jyptkv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/406771/original/file-20210616-21-1jyptkv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/406771/original/file-20210616-21-1jyptkv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">EV batteries could become a significant portion of global e-waste as vehicles are electrified.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/pallet-holds-several-batteries-awaiting-recycling-132431996">TFoxFoto/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fchem.2020.578044/full">Most of</a> the batteries that do get recycled are melted and their metals extracted. This is often done in large commercial facilities which use lots of energy and so emit lots of carbon. These plants are expensive to build and operate, and require sophisticated equipment to treat the harmful emissions generated by the smelting process. Despite the high costs, these plants rarely recover all valuable battery materials.</p>
<p>The value of the global market for metal recycling is expected to grow from US$52 billion (£37 billion) in 2020 to <a href="https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/metal-recycling.asp">US$76 billion by 2025</a>. Without less energy-intensive recycling methods, this emerging industry will only exacerbate environmental problems. But there is a natural process for extracting precious metals from waste that’s been used for decades.</p>
<h2>Bugs for batteries</h2>
<p>Bioleaching, also called biomining, employs microbes which can oxidise metal as part of their metabolism. It has been widely used in the mining industry, where microorganisms are used to extract valuable metals from ores. More recently, this technique has been <a href="https://theconversation.com/were-using-microbes-to-clean-up-toxic-electronic-waste-heres-how-143654">used to</a> clean up and recover materials from electronic waste, particularly the printed <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-56430-2_20">circuit boards</a> of computers, solar panels, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0273122398002224">contaminated water</a>
and even <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1757-899X/791/1/012064/meta">uranium dumps</a>. </p>
<p>My colleagues and I in the Bioleaching Research Group at Coventry University have found that all metals present in EV batteries can be recovered using bioleaching. Bacteria like <em>Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans</em> and other non-toxic species target and recover the metals individually without the need for high temperatures or toxic chemicals. These purified metals constitute chemical elements, and so can be recycled indefinitely into multiple supply chains. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A microscope view of rod-shaped bacteria stained purple." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/406767/original/file-20210616-15-1nb437e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/406767/original/file-20210616-15-1nb437e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/406767/original/file-20210616-15-1nb437e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/406767/original/file-20210616-15-1nb437e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/406767/original/file-20210616-15-1nb437e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/406767/original/file-20210616-15-1nb437e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/406767/original/file-20210616-15-1nb437e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some bacteria can be used to extract metals from their ores.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/bacillus-gram-positive-stain-under-microscope-1622530273">Choksawatdikorn/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Scaling up bioleaching involves growing bacteria in incubators at 37°C, often using carbon dioxide. Not a lot of energy is needed, so the process has a much smaller carbon footprint than typical recycling plants, while also contributing less pollution. While reducing EV battery waste, bioleaching facilities mean manufacturers can recover these precious metals locally, and rely less on the few producer countries. </p>
<p>Academics working on bioleaching to stop once they’ve removed all the precious metals from the electronic waste and they’re floating in solution. This is not enough for industry. We combine bioleaching with electro-chemical methods that can fish out these metals and make them useful for supply chains. Unfortunately, existing methods in metal recycling which involve lots of energy and toxic chemicals have been used for decades. Industries can’t always afford to innovate, so it’s up to the government to mandate changes and invest in cleaner alternatives.</p>
<p>EV batteries are a technology still in their infancy. The reuse of their components should be considered as part of their design. Rather than remaining an afterthought, recycling can become both the beginning and end of an EV battery’s life cycle with bioleaching, producing high-quality raw materials for new batteries at low environmental cost.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/162623/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sebastien Farnaud receives funding from Innovate UK. </span></em></p>
With an average shelf life of nine years, the coming tsunami of waste EV batteries needs action now.
Sebastien Farnaud, Professor of Bio-innovation and Enterprise, Coventry University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/141360
2021-04-16T01:13:54Z
2021-04-16T01:13:54Z
Demand for rare-earth metals is skyrocketing, so we’re creating a safer, cleaner way to recover them from old phones and laptops
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381271/original/file-20210129-13-15piy4d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1000%2C666&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Rare-earth metals are critical to the high-tech society we live in as an essential component of mobile phones, computers and many other everyday devices. But increasing demand and limited global supply means we must urgently find a way to recover these metals efficiently from discarded products. </p>
<p>Rare-earth metals are currently mined or recovered via traditional e-waste recycling. But there are drawbacks, including high cost, environmental damage, pollution and risks to human safety. This is where our <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c04288">ongoing research</a> comes in. </p>
<p><a href="https://ifm.deakin.edu.au/">Our team</a> in collaboration with the <a href="https://www.tecnalia.com/en/">research centre Tecnalia</a> in Spain has developed a way to use environmentally friendly chemicals to recover rare-earth metals. It involves a process called “electrodeposition”, in which a low electric current causes the metals to deposit on a desired surface.</p>
<p>This is important because if we roll out our process to scale, we can alleviate the pressure on global supply, and reduce our reliance on mining. </p>
<h2>The increasing demand for rare-earth metals</h2>
<p>Rare-earth metals is the collective name for a group of 17 elements: 15 from the “lanthanides series” in the periodic table, along with the elements scandium and yttrium. These elements have unique catalytic, metallurgical, nuclear, electrical, magnetic and luminescent properties. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/renewables-need-land-and-lots-of-it-that-poses-tricky-questions-for-regional-australia-156031">Renewables need land – and lots of it. That poses tricky questions for regional Australia</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The term “rare” refers to their even, but scarce, distribution around the world, noted after they were <a href="https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/earthelements.html">first discovered</a> in the late 18th century.</p>
<p>These minerals are critical components of electronic devices, and <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/7/11/203">vital</a> for many green technologies; they’re in magnets for wind power turbines and in batteries for hybrid-electric vehicles. In fact, up to 600 kilograms of rare-earth metals are required <a href="https://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/minerals/mineral-resources-and-advice/australian-resource-reviews/rare-earth-elements">to operate</a> just one wind turbine. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381272/original/file-20210129-19-1bom2yw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="White electric car plugged into a charger" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381272/original/file-20210129-19-1bom2yw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381272/original/file-20210129-19-1bom2yw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381272/original/file-20210129-19-1bom2yw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381272/original/file-20210129-19-1bom2yw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381272/original/file-20210129-19-1bom2yw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381272/original/file-20210129-19-1bom2yw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381272/original/file-20210129-19-1bom2yw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Rare-earth metals are essential components of electric vehicles.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The annual demand for rare-earth metals <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es203518d">doubled</a> to 125,000 tonnes in 15 years, and the demand <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/7/11/203">is projected to reach</a> 315,000 tonnes in 2030, driven by increasing uptake in green technologies and advancing electronics. This is creating enormous pressure on global production.</p>
<h2>Can’t we just mine for more rare metals?</h2>
<p>Rare-earth metals are <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/7/11/203">currently extracted</a> through mining, which comes with a number of downsides.</p>
<p>First, it’s costly and inefficient because extracting even a very small amount of rare earth metals requires large areas to be mined.</p>
<p>Second, the process can have enormous environmental impacts. Mining for rare earth minerals generates large volumes of toxic and radioactive material, due to the co-extraction of thorium and uranium — radioactive metals which can cause problems for the environment and human health.</p>
<p>Third, most mining for rare-earth metals occurs in China, which produces <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-19/australian-critical-mineral-supply-to-be-guaranteed-by-us/11716726">more than 70%</a> of global supply. This raises concerns about long-term availability, particularly after China <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-06/rare-earth-what-happens-if-china-cuts-global-supplies/11167100">threatened to restrict</a> its supply in 2019 during its trade war with the US. </p>
<h2>E-waste recycling is not the complete answer</h2>
<p>Through e-waste recycling, rare-earth metals can be recovered from electronic products such as mobile phones, laptops and electric vehicles batteries, once they reach the end of their life.</p>
<p>For example, recovering them from electric vehicle batteries involves traditional hydrometallurgical (corrosive media treatment) and pyrometallurgical (heat treatment) processes. But these have several drawbacks. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/clean-energy-the-worlds-demand-for-copper-could-be-catastrophic-for-communities-and-environments-157872">Clean energy? The world’s demand for copper could be catastrophic for communities and environments</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Pyrometallurgy is energy-intensive, involving multiple stages that require high working temperatures, around 1,000°C. It also emits pollutants such as carbon dioxide, dioxins and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furan#:%7E:text=Furan%20is%20a%20heterocyclic%20organic,point%20close%20to%20room%20temperature">furans</a> into the atmosphere. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, hydrometallurgy generates large volumes of corrosive waste, such as highly alkaline or acidic substances like sodium hydroxide or sulfuric acid. </p>
<p>Similar recovery processes are also applied to other energy storage technologies, such as lithium ion batteries. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381275/original/file-20210129-21-xmq4uj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381275/original/file-20210129-21-xmq4uj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381275/original/file-20210129-21-xmq4uj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381275/original/file-20210129-21-xmq4uj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381275/original/file-20210129-21-xmq4uj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381275/original/file-20210129-21-xmq4uj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381275/original/file-20210129-21-xmq4uj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381275/original/file-20210129-21-xmq4uj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">It’s vital to develop safer, more efficient ways to recycle e-waste and avoid mining, as demand for rare-earth metals increases.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Why our research is different</h2>
<p>Given these challenges, we set out to find a sustainable method to recover rare-earth metals, using electrodeposition.</p>
<p>Electrodeposition is already used to recover other metals. In our case, we have designed an environmentally friendly composition based on <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c04288">ionic liquid (salt-based) systems</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/want-more-jobs-in-australia-cut-our-ore-exports-and-make-more-metals-at-home-124592">Want more jobs in Australia? Cut our ore exports and make more metals at home</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>We focused on recovering neodymium, an important rare-earth metal due to its outstanding magnetic properties, and in <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/7/11/203">extremely high demand</a> compared to other rare-earth metals. It’s used in electric motors in cars, mobile phones, wind turbines, hard disk drives and audio devices. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nmat2448">Ionic liquids</a> are highly stable, which means it’s possible to recover neodymium without generating side products, which can affect the neodymium purity. </p>
<p>The novelty of our <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jpclett.8b03203">research</a> using ionic liquids for electrodeposition is the presence of water in the mix, which improves the quantity of the final recovered neodymium metal.</p>
<p>Unlike previously reported methods, we can recover neodymium metal without using controlled atmosphere, and at working temperature lower than 100°C. These are key considerations to industrialising such a technology.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/rare-metals-play-a-strategic-and-essential-role-in-health-156358">Rare metals play a strategic and essential role in health</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>At this stage we have proof of concept at lab scale using a solution of ionic liquid with water, recovering neodymium in its most expensive metallic form in a few hours. We are currently looking at scaling up the process.</p>
<h2>An important early step</h2>
<p>In time, our method could avoid the need to mine for rare earth metals and minimises the generation of toxic and harmful waste. It also promises to help increase economic returns from e-waste. </p>
<p>Importantly, this method could be adapted to recover metals in other end-of-life applications, such as lithium ion batteries, as a <a href="https://www.pveurope.eu/energy-storage/lithium-ion-battery-market-expected-grow-strongly-2025">2019 report</a> projected an 11% growth per annum in production in Europe. </p>
<p>Our research is an important early step towards establishing a clean and sustainable processing route for rare-earth metals, and alleviating the pressures on these critical elements.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/141360/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cristina Pozo-Gonzalo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Rare-earth metals are currently mined or recovered via e-waste recycling — methods with drawbacks including high cost, environmental damage, and risks to human safety. This is where we come in.
Cristina Pozo-Gonzalo, Senior Research Fellow, Deakin University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/155292
2021-03-02T06:39:24Z
2021-03-02T06:39:24Z
Indonesia can earn US$14 billion from old mobile phones and other e-waste in 2040
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/384436/original/file-20210216-19-57bzc1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A broken phone.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/wrecked-iphone-1388947/">Skitterphoto/pexels</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Indonesia is the <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/indonesia/overview">fourth-most-populous country</a> and one of the <a href="https://smartcity.jakarta.go.id/events/404/international-consumer-electronics-expo-indonesia-iceei-20">largest electronics consumers</a> in the world. As a result, it has a sizeable share of used electronics and electrical equipment, known as e-waste. </p>
<p>This e-waste ranges from end-of-life mobile phones, tablets, laptops, personal computers and batteries, to televisions and white goods such as refrigerators and washing machines. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126096">new paper</a> estimates Indonesia could produce about 2 million tonnes of e-waste in 2021, which is the most in Southeast Asia.</p>
<p>By 2040, the economic potential of e-waste in Indonesia is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126096">predicted to reach US$14 billion</a></p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387110/original/file-20210301-21-1pci97q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387110/original/file-20210301-21-1pci97q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387110/original/file-20210301-21-1pci97q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387110/original/file-20210301-21-1pci97q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387110/original/file-20210301-21-1pci97q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387110/original/file-20210301-21-1pci97q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387110/original/file-20210301-21-1pci97q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">E-waste.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/techbirmingham/345897594/in/photolist-wyPiC-9SiDJk-5ECVsZ-odZmq1-9qvRPU-mTpKho-2gR7jjg-2kERvLD-2kERw4x-7Tx3yN-2anwJ97-NzKWh-oZomXc-pW7Jwt-pDKDJn-pU2bQ5-pDKD1i-oZkmbu-aoMdqA-7MAHbm-q37HTR-7VT6tS-NzKMC-71ZqRK-43FKr-2kEQXJS-CGvbN-FHi9zk-kxPCcc-7RKjng-PTFzjk-5YkE1i-f7zQWY-f7zPMA-mWVXZD-7QP7Tr-7MAGHG-ppBKWa-f7kAGD-xVci-grQhXf-EvXX3e-dt1rb9-92ELV5-29jfk-23FWJSK-MyQdxv-f7zmxw-2cVEwex-QMVzDm">techbirmingham/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How we can generate money from e-waste</h2>
<p>E-waste offers economic opportunities for Indonesia if we can recycle it.</p>
<p>While it contains hazardous elements that need to be processed and contained, it also includes valuable metals such as copper, gold, silver, platinum, palladium and other strategically valuable metals for technologies we use every day.</p>
<p>The concentration of selected metals in e-waste is, in some cases, higher than in their primary minerals/ores underground. </p>
<p>One example: it takes about 0.5-1 tonnes of gold ores to produce the gold in a wedding ring (about 2 grams). This same amount of gold can be obtained from just <a href="https://theconversation.com/im-a-bit-of-a-modern-day-alchemist-recovering-gold-from-old-mobile-phones-137959">15-30kg of end-of-life mobile phones</a>. </p>
<p>Hence this “urban” resource can be an alternative source for metals production.</p>
<p>Indonesia’s annual e-waste generation is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126096">projected to increase to 3.2 million tonnes</a> in 20 years. That’s about 10kg of e-waste per person in 2040, an increase from 7.3kg/person now.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126096">study</a> mentioned above also highlights that most of the e-waste is in major islands with large populations. Java, the country’s most populated island, is estimated to produce about 56% of the nation’s e-waste.</p>
<h2>What can be done</h2>
<p>I believe the key to capitalising on the economic value of e-waste starts with developing an appropriate recycling system. </p>
<p>The government is developing a <a href="https://theconversation.com/ekonomi-sirkular-saat-pandemi-menciptakan-lapangan-kerja-dan-mengurangi-sampah-142663">National Circular Economy Strategy</a>. Comprehensive management of e-waste is one of the aspects being considered. </p>
<p>Unlike plastic wastes, e-waste should be considered as metals resources –
like the primary minerals mined underground. We should focus on processing the e-waste to recover these valuable metals. </p>
<p>The strategy of e-waste processing can be aligned with the national strategy for mining and minerals processing. </p>
<p>Sustainable and environmentally friendly recycling and recovery of the valuable metals from e-waste, however, are not straightforward because of the complexity of the resource and the need to manage the hazardous elements. </p>
<p>In developed countries such as Belgium, Germany, South Korea and <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-zealand-invests-in-growing-its-domestic-recycling-industry-to-create-jobs-and-dump-less-rubbish-at-landfills-143684">New Zealand</a>, the major route for recycling and recovery of valuable elements is through combined chemical processes where the e-waste is sent to large centralised smelting facilities. There the e-waste is co-processed with the production of common basic non-ferrous metals of copper, lead and zinc. </p>
<p>These metals act as solvent to absorb the valuable elements, which are later separated in downstream chemical processes. </p>
<p>In such large facilities, it’s easier to manage hazardous elements as existing equipment to process primary minerals can also be used to handle hazardous emissions during e-waste processing. </p>
<p>As an archipelago, Indonesia’s geography makes it difficult to apply the same centralised model. </p>
<p>Fortunately, a number of smelters or refineries are already available in major islands across the archipelago to be part of an overall recycling system and infrastructure. </p>
<p>I believe the solution will include technical and logistical integration of suitable technologies to form a complete recycling chain with the introduction of mobile recycling facilities. </p>
<p>These facilities operate at small capacity and represent each stage of the e-waste processing – dismantling, mechanical processing and metallurgical processing. They can be placed in major islands to support the key major smelters.</p>
<p>These facilities can be integrated with e-waste collection, both formally by provincial governments and by scavengers, taking into account local situations and conditions. </p>
<p>There can also be multiple metallurgical facilities operating as individual operations that produce semi products. They can serve as feeders to the next mobile facilities or to larger integrated smelters/metals industries. </p>
<p>Breaking down the overall recycling process into smaller operations means smaller capital investments will be needed. This will help attract smaller industries and stimulate the creation of many new recycling industries supporting the circular economy. A caveat is that the smaller industries will have to be better regulated and supported. </p>
<p>Developing a comprehensive strategy and recycling system for e-waste is not easy. There are many factors to consider beyond technical aspects, including economical, logistical, environmental and sociocultural aspects. </p>
<p>But, with concerted and strategic efforts, we can capitalise on its elusive economic values by turning this waste into wealth.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/155292/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>M Akbar Rhamdhani receives funding from Australia Research Council, Australia Renewable Energy Agency, and Sustainability Victoria for projects in relation to recovery of valuable metals and processing of Urban ores. He also receives funding for various projects on the fundamental aspects of metals recycling from Australian and European based technology companies.</span></em></p>
Used electronics and electrical equipment, known as e-waste, can generate a significant amount of money if recycled.
M Akbar Rhamdhani, Professor in Extractive Metallurgy and Metals Recycling, Swinburne University of Technology
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/147972
2021-01-11T13:14:46Z
2021-01-11T13:14:46Z
Consumer electronics have changed a lot in 20 years – systems for managing e-waste aren’t keeping up
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376831/original/file-20201231-49872-1uzkolc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C11%2C3864%2C2572&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Most of the world's electronics are not recycled, posing health and environmental risks. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/abandoned-and-rusted-laptop-lying-on-riverbed-royalty-free-image/108162816">catscandotcom/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s hard to imagine navigating modern life without a <a href="https://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/are-cell-phones-becoming-more-popular-toilets">mobile phone</a> in hand. Computers, tablets and smartphones have transformed how we communicate, work, learn, share news and entertain ourselves. They became even more essential when the COVID-19 pandemic moved classes, meetings and social connections online. </p>
<p>But few people realize that our reliance on electronics comes with steep environmental costs, from mining minerals to disposing of used devices. Consumers can’t resist faster products with more storage and better cameras, but constant upgrades have created a <a href="https://time.com/5594380/world-electronic-waste-problem/">growing global waste challenge</a>. In 2019 alone, people discarded <a href="https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Environment/Documents/Toolbox/GEM_2020_def.pdf">53 million metric tons of electronic waste</a>.</p>
<p>In our work as <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=oZyg9b4AAAAJ&hl=en">sustainability researchers</a>, we study how consumer behavior and technological innovations influence the products that people buy, how long they keep them and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=z6q5FZMAAAAJ&hl=en">how these items are reused or recycled</a>. </p>
<p>Our research shows that while e-waste is rising globally, it’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13074">declining in the U.S.</a> But some innovations that are slimming down the e-waste stream are also making products harder to repair and recycle.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376843/original/file-20201231-15-1o0ofkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376843/original/file-20201231-15-1o0ofkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376843/original/file-20201231-15-1o0ofkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376843/original/file-20201231-15-1o0ofkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376843/original/file-20201231-15-1o0ofkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376843/original/file-20201231-15-1o0ofkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376843/original/file-20201231-15-1o0ofkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376843/original/file-20201231-15-1o0ofkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sending electronics to junkyards or landfills wastes an opportunity to recycle valuable materials inside them.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/junkyard-with-old-computer-and-electronic-parts-ca-news-photo/144074229">Joe Sohm/Visions of America /Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Recycling used electronics</h2>
<p>Thirty years of data show why the volume of e-waste in the U.S. is decreasing. New products are <a href="https://apnews.com/article/bb5ff45b98f64123b3d408dd4a336b59">lighter and more compact than past offerings</a>. Smartphones and laptops have edged out desktop computers. Televisions with thin, flat screens have displaced bulkier <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathode-ray_tube">cathode-ray tubes</a>, and streaming services are doing the job that once required standalone MP3, DVD and Blu-ray players. U.S. households now produce about <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13074">10% less electronic waste by weight</a> than they did at their peak in 2015.</p>
<p>The bad news is that <a href="https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling">only about 35% of U.S. e-waste is recycled</a>. Consumers often don’t know where to recycle discarded products. If electronic devices decompose in landfills, hazardous compounds can leach into groundwater, including <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10962247.2019.1640807">lead</a> used in older circuit boards, mercury found in early LCD screens and <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/9/30/toxins-in-plastics-blamed-for-health-environment-hazards">flame retardants</a> in plastics. This process poses health risks to people and wildlife. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"809910797182914560"}"></div></p>
<p>There’s a clear need to recycle e-waste, both to protect public health and to recover valuable metals. Electronics contain rare minerals and precious metals mined in socially and ecologically <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/business/batteries/congo-cobalt-mining-for-lithium-ion-battery/">vulnerable parts of the world</a>. Reuse and recycling can reduce demand for “<a href="https://www.newsecuritybeat.org/2020/09/companies-struggle-comply-conflict-mineral-reporting-rules/">conflict minerals</a>” and <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/01/how-a-circular-approach-can-turn-e-waste-into-a-golden-opportunity/">create new jobs and revenue streams</a>. </p>
<p>But it’s not a simple process. Disassembling electronics for repair or material recovery is expensive and labor-intensive. </p>
<p>Some recycling companies have illegally <a href="https://resource-recycling.com/e-scrap/2020/12/03/former-president-of-crt-processor-sentenced-to-prison/">stockpiled</a> or <a href="https://resource-recycling.com/e-scrap/2013/08/23/abandoned-warehouses-full-crts-found-several-states/">abandoned</a> e-waste. One Denver warehouse was called “<a href="https://resource-recycling.com/e-scrap/2013/08/23/abandoned-warehouses-full-crts-found-several-states/">an environmental disaster</a>” when 8,000 tons of lead-filled tubes from old TVs were discovered there in 2013. </p>
<p>The U.S. <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/america-e-waste-gps-tracker-tells-all-earthfix">exports up to 40% of its e-waste</a>. Some goes to regions such as Southeast Asia that have <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/08/world/asia/e-waste-thailand-southeast-asia.html">little environmental oversight and few measures to protect workers</a> who repair or recycle electronics. </p>
<h2>Disassembling products and assembling data</h2>
<p>Health and environmental risks have prompted 25 U.S. states and the District of Columbia to <a href="https://www.ecycleclearinghouse.org/maps.aspx">enact e-waste recycling laws</a>. Some of these measures ban landfilling electronics, while others require manufacturers to support recycling efforts. All of them target large products, like old cathode-ray tube TVs, which contain up to 4 pounds of lead.</p>
<p>We wanted to know whether these laws, adopted from 2003 to 2011, can keep up with the current generation of electronic products. To find out, we needed a better estimate of how much e-waste the U.S. now produces.</p>
<p>We mapped sales of electronic products from the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/04/a-terminal-condition/361313/">1950s</a> to the present, using data from industry reports, government sources and consumer surveys. Then we <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-020-0573-9">disassembled almost 100 devices</a>, from obsolete VCRs to today’s smartphones and fitness trackers, to weigh and measure the materials they contained.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/374938/original/file-20201214-18-e30oa9.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/374938/original/file-20201214-18-e30oa9.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/374938/original/file-20201214-18-e30oa9.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=197&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/374938/original/file-20201214-18-e30oa9.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=197&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/374938/original/file-20201214-18-e30oa9.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=197&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/374938/original/file-20201214-18-e30oa9.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=248&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/374938/original/file-20201214-18-e30oa9.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=248&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/374938/original/file-20201214-18-e30oa9.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=248&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A researcher takes apart a smartphone to find out what materials are inside.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shahana Althaf</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/374942/original/file-20201214-21-1eto45i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/374942/original/file-20201214-21-1eto45i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/374942/original/file-20201214-21-1eto45i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/374942/original/file-20201214-21-1eto45i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/374942/original/file-20201214-21-1eto45i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/374942/original/file-20201214-21-1eto45i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/374942/original/file-20201214-21-1eto45i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/374942/original/file-20201214-21-1eto45i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">This dissected tablet shows the components inside, each of which were logged, weighed and measured by researchers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Callie Babbitt</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We created a <a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3986969">computer model to analyze the data</a>, producing one of the most detailed accounts of U.S. electronic product consumption and discards currently available.</p>
<h2>E-waste is leaner, but not necessarily greener</h2>
<p>The big surprise from our research was that U.S. households are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13074">producing less e-waste</a>, thanks to compact product designs and digital innovation. For example, a smartphone serves as an all-in-one phone, camera, MP3 player and portable navigation system. Flat-panel TVs are about 50% lighter than <a href="https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/06/15/15greenwire-some-see-e-waste-crisis-trailing-switch-to-dig-81110.html">large-tube TVs</a> and don’t contain any lead. </p>
<p>But not all innovations have been beneficial. To make lightweight products, manufacturers miniaturized components and glued parts together, making it harder to repair devices and more expensive to recycle them. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-020-01890-3">Lithium-ion batteries</a> pose another problem: They are hard to detect and remove, and they can spark <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/28/21156477/recycling-plants-fire-batteries-rechargeable-smartphone-lithium-ion">disastrous fires</a> during transportation or recycling.</p>
<p>Popular features that consumers love – speed, sharp images, responsive touch screens and long battery life – rely on metals like cobalt, indium and <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-are-rare-earths-crucial-elements-in-modern-technology-4-questions-answered-101364">rare-earth elements</a> that require immense energy and expense to mine. Commercial recycling technology cannot yet recover them profitably, although innovations are starting to emerge. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376830/original/file-20201231-49513-1tf9ypc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376830/original/file-20201231-49513-1tf9ypc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376830/original/file-20201231-49513-1tf9ypc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376830/original/file-20201231-49513-1tf9ypc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376830/original/file-20201231-49513-1tf9ypc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376830/original/file-20201231-49513-1tf9ypc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376830/original/file-20201231-49513-1tf9ypc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376830/original/file-20201231-49513-1tf9ypc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Apple’s new robot, Daisy, can disassemble nine different iPhone models to recover valuable materials that traditional recyclers cannot.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2018/04/apple-adds-earth-day-donations-to-trade-in-and-recycling-program/">Apple</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Reenvisioning waste as a resource</h2>
<p>We believe solving these challenges requires a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.05.038">proactive approach</a> that treats digital discards as resources, not waste. Gold, silver, palladium and other valuable materials are now more concentrated in e-waste than in natural ores in the ground. </p>
<p>“<a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200407-urban-mining-how-your-home-may-be-a-gold-mine">Urban mining</a>,” in the form of recycling e-waste, could replace the need to dig up scarce metals, reducing environmental damage. It would also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.105248">reduce U.S. dependence</a> on <a href="https://www.cato.org/blog/chinas-critical-minerals-national-security-meaning-supply-chain-interdependence">minerals imported from other countries</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376714/original/file-20201228-17-1yhxq7y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376714/original/file-20201228-17-1yhxq7y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=245&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376714/original/file-20201228-17-1yhxq7y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=245&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376714/original/file-20201228-17-1yhxq7y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=245&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376714/original/file-20201228-17-1yhxq7y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=308&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376714/original/file-20201228-17-1yhxq7y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=308&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376714/original/file-20201228-17-1yhxq7y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=308&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Concentration of hazardous (left) and valuable (right) materials within the U.S. e-waste stream.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Althaf et al. 2020</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Government, industry and consumers all have roles to play. Progress will require designing products that are <a href="https://www.ifixit.com/">easier to repair</a> and reuse, and persuading consumers to <a href="https://earth911.com/eco-tech/ways-to-reuse-old-laptop/">keep their devices longer</a>. </p>
<p>We also see a need for responsive e-waste laws in place of today’s dated patchwork of state regulations. Establishing <a href="https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/how-u-s-laws-do-and-dont-support-e-recycling-and-reuse/">convenient</a>, <a href="https://sustainableelectronics.org/recyclers">certified</a> <a href="https://e-stewards.org/">recycling locations</a> can keep more electronics out of landfills. With retooled operations, recyclers can recover more valuable materials from the e-waste stream. Steps like these can help balance our reliance on electronic devices with systems that better protect human health and the environment. </p>
<p>[<em>Deep knowledge, daily.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=deepknowledge">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/147972/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Callie Babbitt receives funding from the National Science Foundation, the Consumer Technology Association, and the Staples Sustainable Innovation Lab.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shahana Althaf received funding from the National Science Foundation, the Consumer Technology Association, and the Staples Sustainable Innovation Lab.</span></em></p>
Technical advances are reducing the volume of e-waste generated in the US as lighter, more compact products enter the market. But those goods can be harder to reuse and recycle.
Callie Babbitt, Associate Professor of Sustainability, Rochester Institute of Technology
Shahana Althaf, Postdoctoral associate, Yale University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/148542
2020-12-02T14:51:04Z
2020-12-02T14:51:04Z
Toxic waste dumping in the Gulf of Guinea amounts to environmental racism
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/367908/original/file-20201106-21-1cpxjpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">On the outskirts of Accra there are huge electronic waste disposal sites, known locally as Sodoma and Gomorra. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo by Maniglia Romano/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Toxic waste and electronic waste (e-waste) is generated from a wide range of industries – such as health, hydrocarbon or manufacturing – and can come in many forms, such as sludges or gas. <a href="https://www.epa.gov/international-cooperation/cleaning-electronic-waste-e-waste">E-waste</a> is used electronic items that are nearing the end of their useful life, and are discarded or given to be recycled. If these types of waste aren’t properly discarded they <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/toxic-waste/">can cause</a> serious harm to human health and the environment.</p>
<p>This makes the proper disposal of toxic and e-waste <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2013/dec/14/toxic-ewaste-illegal-dumping-developing-countries">expensive</a>. Because of this a market has been created and some companies and independent waste brokers circumvent laws. They disguise toxic waste as <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/8259765.stm">unharmful</a> and e-waste as <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/26e1aa74-2261-11ea-92da-f0c92e957a96">reusable electronics</a>. It is then exported to countries in West and Central Africa where it is often disposed of unethically at <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-nigeria-needs-to-manage-electronic-waste-better-135844">dump-sites</a>. </p>
<p>In <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00020184.2020.1827947?scroll=top&needAccess=true">our recent paper</a>, we show how Western companies and businesses (primarily those in Europe and the US) target countries in the Gulf of Guinea – we covered Nigeria, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire – as a dump for their toxic waste. This, despite the knowledge of the physiological and environmental effects of this waste. </p>
<p>These African countries <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2474629">do not</a> have the facilities to enable the safe disposal of hazardous and toxic waste. And the true contents of the waste are <a href="https://timeline.com/koko-nigeria-italy-toxic-waste-159a6487b5aa">almost</a> <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-10735255">always</a> unknown to them. Exporters label <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/feb/07/uk-worst-offender-in-europe-for-electronic-waste-exports-report">unsalvageable electronic goods as reusable</a>. This allows them to circumvent international laws which <a href="http://www.basel.int/implementation/ewaste/overview/tabid/4063/default.aspx#:%7E:text=E%2Dwaste%20is%20categorized%20as,according%20to%20the%20Basel%20Convention.&text=These%20precious%20and%20heavy%20metals,source%20of%20secondary%20raw%20materials.">prohibit the transboundary transport of this</a> waste.</p>
<p>Drawing on examples from Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Ghana, our paper argues that toxic waste dumping in the Gulf of Guinea amounts to <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/07/what-is-environmental-racism-pollution-covid-systemic/">environmental racism</a>. This is a term that’s used to describe a form of systemic racism – manifested <a href="https://www.unrisd.org/80256B3C005BCCF9/(httpAuxPages)/543B2B250E64745280256B6D005788F7/$file/bullard.pdf">through</a> policies or practices – whereby communities of colour are disproportionately burdened with health hazards through policies and practices that force them to live in proximity to sources of toxic waste. </p>
<p>Other victims of environmental racism are Native Americans. In 2002 the US Commission for Racial Justice <a href="https://courses.lumenlearning.com/alamo-sociology/chapter/reading-environmental-racism/">found that</a> about half of this population live in areas with uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. </p>
<p>The dumping of toxic waste into Africa, while deliberately concealing its true content, shows that companies know it is ethically wrong. To protect communities within these countries, governments must implement the provisions of the <a href="http://www.basel.int/implementation/ewaste/overview/tabid/4063/default.aspx#:%7E:text=E%2Dwaste%20is%20categorized%20as,according%20to%20the%20Basel%20Convention.&text=These%20precious%20and%20heavy%20metals,source%20of%20secondary%20raw%20materials.">Basel</a> and <a href="https://www.unenvironment.org/explore-topics/environmental-rights-and-governance/what-we-do/meeting-international-environmental">Bamako Conventions</a>. These conventions classify the transboundary movement of hazardous waste without the consent of the receiving state as illegal. </p>
<p>We also argue that the dumping of hazardous waste must be recognised by the United Nations and its member states as a violation of human rights.</p>
<h2>What we found</h2>
<p>We focused on three recent case studies of toxic waste dumping in Cote d’Ivoire, and e-waste dumping in Nigeria and Ghana to illustrate how specific acts of environmental racism happen. </p>
<p><strong>Nigeria and Ghana</strong> </p>
<p>We looked at waste dumping in Nigeria and Ghana because they are both identified by the United Nations Environmental Programme as among the <a href="https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/dark-skies-bright-future-overcoming-nigerias-e-waste-epidemic">world’s top destinations for e-waste</a>. This includes discarded computers, television sets, mobile phones and microwave ovens. </p>
<p>In Nigeria, each month an estimated 500 container loads, each carrying about 500 000 pieces of used electronic devices (many of which can’t be used again), enter Nigeria’s port from <a href="https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/nigeria-has-become-an-e-waste-dumpsite-for-europe-us-and-asia-24197">Europe, the US and Asia</a>. <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-29/the-rich-world-s-electronic-waste-dumped-in-ghana">Similarly in Ghana, hundreds of thousands of tons of used electronics</a>, mainly <a href="https://resource.co/article/nigerias-e-waste-mountain">from Europe and the United States</a>, are delivered in huge containers.</p>
<p>Because the electronics aren’t properly recycled, this waste <a href="https://resource.co/article/nigerias-e-waste-mountain">has caused</a> huge amounts of pollution to enter the environment. Communities in both countries are also <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6555250/">exposed</a> to toxic chemicals such as mercury and lead. Burning e-waste can increase <a href="https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/full/10.1289/ehp.1509699">the risk of respiratory and skin diseases, eye infections and cancer</a> for those that work on and live close by.</p>
<p>This is in stark contrast to what happens in the origin countries of the waste. For example, in the United Kingdom electronic waste is required to be appropriately <a href="https://www.hse.gov.uk/waste/waste-electrical.htm">recycled </a> and is barred from incineration and landfills.</p>
<p>Misguidedly, the importation of e-waste to countries like Nigeria and Ghana continues because it generates much-needed revenue. For instance, Ghana is set to generate up to <a href="https://enviro360.com/govt-targets-100m-from-imported-e-waste/">US$100 million each year from levies</a> collected from importers of e-wastes. The informal sector is also a source of employment for many poor and vulnerable people. In Nigeria for example, <a href="https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/press-release/nigeria-turns-tide-electronic-waste">up to 100,000 people work</a> in the informal e-waste sector, processing half a million tonnes of discarded appliances each year.</p>
<p><strong>Côte d’Ivoire</strong> </p>
<p>Côte d'Ivoire serves as a good example to show the secrecy that is inherent in the toxic waste industry and the human and environmental cost of toxic waste dumping. </p>
<p>In 2006 Trafigura, a Netherlands-based multinational oil trading company, <a href="https://dro.dur.ac.uk/16631/2/16631.pdf">didn’t want</a> to pay the EUR500,000 (about US$620,000) to treat and dispose of its toxic waste in the Netherlands. And so it approached an Ivorian contractor to dispose of <a href="https://dro.dur.ac.uk/16631/2/16631.pdf">over 500,000 litres of toxic waste</a>. They paid the Ivorian subcontractor in Abidjan EUR18,500 (about US$22,000). The waste was disposed of at over <a href="https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/press-release/un-environment-releases-independent-audit-sites-affected-toxic-waste#:%7E:text=The%20audit%20finds%20that%20none,from%20the%202006%20dumping%20event.">12 different locations around Abidjan</a>. They claimed the material was non-toxic, hence no need for treatment. </p>
<p>The environmental racism is reflected in the fact that Trafigura knew that the waste was toxic and lied to discharge it in Côte d'Ivoire. Its decision is one of convenience and it is racist because it shows a disregard for African lives. </p>
<p>In the aftermath of the incident, <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2009/09/312652-toxic-wastes-caused-deaths-illnesses-cote-divoire-un-expert">over 100,000 people became sick and 15 people died</a>. According to a <a href="https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/press-release/un-environment-releases-independent-audit-sites-affected-toxic-waste#:%7E:text=The%20audit%20finds%20that%20none,from%20the%202006%20dumping%20event.">2018 assessment</a> some of the sites are still contaminated. </p>
<p>The Ivorian government entered into a settlement agreement with the Trafigura Group, receiving <a href="https://www.amnesty.org.uk/files/webfm/Documents/issues/afr310082012en.pdf?yw4zwEWa4WPJdM72s3xrNYvG6oyJOZGx">CFA95 billion (approximately US$200 million)</a>. This was intended to compensate the state and the victims and to pay for clean-up of the waste. However, some victims <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=20384">haven’t received</a> compensation. Subsequent bids by victims for compensation have been <a href="https://www.enca.com/africa/ivory-coast-toxic-spill-victims-launch-new-dutch-court-bid">rejected</a> by a court in Amsterdam.</p>
<h2>Moving forward</h2>
<p>We recommend that countries in the region implement the provisions of the Basel and Bamako conventions in their entirety. Doing this would ensure that the countries of origin would be active players, monitoring the brokers on their end and ensuring waste is stopped before it’s exported. </p>
<p>Currently, Nigeria and Ghana haven’t ratified the Bamako Convention; they must do so. Recipient countries must take the necessary steps to ensure that they’re not used as a dumping ground. </p>
<p>There’s also a need for an international tribunal on toxic waste dumping and related crimes – just <a href="https://www.icty.org/">like the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia</a> – to pass appropriate retributive justice. And though the Basel convention stipulates that the state can develop laws regarding liability and compensation for the victims, this has not yet resulted in fair compensation for victims.</p>
<p>Finally, it is imperative that Gulf of Guinea countries equip their seaports with technology and trained personnel that can detect hazardous waste.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/148542/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Despite knowing how harmful it can be, companies and businesses (primarily those in Europe and the US) target countries in the Gulf of Guinea as a dump for their toxic waste.
Ifesinachi Okafor-Yarwood, Lecturer, University of St Andrews
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/146065
2020-10-22T12:23:50Z
2020-10-22T12:23:50Z
Designing batteries for easier recycling could avert a looming e-waste crisis
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/364563/original/file-20201020-17-1x28u8s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=31%2C5%2C3494%2C2144&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">What happens to millions of these?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Li_ion_laptop_battery.jpg">Kristoferb/Wikipedia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As concern mounts over the impacts of climate change, many experts are calling for <a href="https://www.rff.org/publications/explainers/electrification-101/">greater use of electricity</a> as a substitute for fossil fuels. Powered by advancements in battery technology, the number of <a href="https://afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/electric_batteries.html">plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles</a> on U.S. roads is increasing. And utilities are generating a growing share of their power from renewable fuels, supported by <a href="https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=40072">large-scale battery storage systems</a>.</p>
<p>These trends, coupled with a growing volume of battery-powered phones, watches, laptops, wearable devices and other consumer technologies, leave us wondering: What will happen to all these batteries once they wear out?</p>
<p>Despite overwhelming enthusiasm for cheaper, more powerful and energy-dense batteries, manufacturers have paid comparatively little attention to making these essential devices more sustainable. In the U.S. only about 5% of lithium-ion batteries – the technology of choice for electric vehicles and many high-tech products – <a href="https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2019/07/f64/112306-battery-recycling-brochure-June-2019%202-web150.pdf">are actually recycled</a>. As sales of electric vehicles and tech gadgets continue to grow, it is unclear who should handle hazardous battery waste or how to do it. </p>
<p>As engineers who work on <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=pPgKUOEAAAAJ&hl=en">designing advanced materials</a>, including <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=dD8UWYEAAAAJ&hl=en">batteries</a>, we believe it is important to think about these issues now. Creating pathways for battery manufacturers to build sustainable production-to-recycling manufacturing processes that meet both consumer and environmental standards can reduce the likelihood of a battery waste crisis in the coming decade.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iFchfHH0qzg?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Spent batteries from electric vehicles can still power devices like streetlights, but there is not currently any requirement to reuse them. Recycling them is expensive and technically complex.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Hazardous contents</h2>
<p>Batteries pose more complex recycling and disposal challenges than metals, plastics and paper products because they contain many chemical components that are both toxic and difficult to separate. </p>
<p>Some types of widely used batteries – notably, lead-acid batteries in gasoline-powered cars – have relatively simple chemistries and designs that make them straightforward to recycle. The common nonrechargeable alkaline or water-based batteries that power devices like flashlights and smoke alarms can be disposed directly in landfills. </p>
<p>However, today’s lithium-ion batteries are highly sophisticated and not designed for recyclability. They contain hazardous chemicals, such as toxic lithium salts and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/transition-metal">transition metals</a>, that can damage the environment and leach into water sources. Used lithium batteries also contain embedded electrochemical energy – a small amount of charge left over after they can no longer power devices – which can cause fires or explosions, or <a href="https://www.epw.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/e/5/e5530917-434d-451c-8a6b-c5cdfad1b5ec/EED12407A6BF7DE6C86A4B39C25CF6A4.greenberger-testimony-07.17.2019.pdf">harm people that handle them</a>.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1026491976722468865"}"></div></p>
<p>Moreover, manufacturers have little economic incentive to modify existing protocols to incorporate recycling-friendly designs. Today it <a href="https://www.epw.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/e/5/e5530917-434d-451c-8a6b-c5cdfad1b5ec/EED12407A6BF7DE6C86A4B39C25CF6A4.greenberger-testimony-07.17.2019.pdf">costs more to recycle</a> a lithium-ion battery than the recoverable materials inside it are worth.</p>
<p>As a result, responsibility for handling battery waste frequently falls to third-party recyclers – companies that make money from collecting and processing recyclables. Often it is cheaper for them to store batteries than to treat and recycle them. </p>
<p>Recycling technologies that can break down batteries, such as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/pyrometallurgy">pyrometallurgy</a>, or burning, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/hydrometallurgy">hydrometallurgy</a>, or acid leaching, are becoming <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s41918-018-0012-1">more efficient and economical</a>. But the lack of proper battery recycling infrastructure creates roadblocks along the entire supply chain. </p>
<p>For example, transporting used batteries over long distances to recycling centers would typically be done by truck. Lithium batteries must be packaged and shipped according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s <a href="https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=83659c6aca8187cdb60b38763b2ffbb8&node=se49.2.173_1185&rgn=div8">Class 9 hazardous material regulations</a>. Using a <a href="https://www.anl.gov/egs/everbatt">model developed by Argonne National Laboratory</a>, we estimate that this requirement increases transport costs to more than 50 times that of regular cargo.</p>
<h2>Safer and simpler</h2>
<p>While it will be challenging to bake recyclability into the existing manufacturing of conventional lithium-ion batteries, it is vital to develop sustainable practices for solid-state batteries, which are a next-generation technology expected to enter the market within this decade. </p>
<p>A solid-state battery replaces the flammable organic liquid electrolyte in lithium-ion batteries with a nonflammable inorganic solid electrolyte. This allows the battery to operate over a much wider temperature range and dramatically reduces the risk of fires or explosions. Our <a href="http://zhengchen.eng.ucsd.edu/">team of nanoengineers</a> is working to incorporate ease of recyclability into next-generation solid-state battery development before these batteries enter the market.</p>
<p>Conceptually, recycling-friendly batteries must be safe to handle and transport, simple to dismantle, cost-effective to manufacture and minimally harmful to the environment. After analyzing the options, we’ve chosen a combination of specific chemistries in next-generation all-solid-state batteries that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1557/mre.2020.25">meets these requirements</a>. </p>
<p>Our design strategy reduces the number of steps required to dismantle the battery, and avoids using combustion or harmful chemicals such as acids or toxic organic solvents. Instead, it employs only safe, low-cost materials such as alcohol and water-based recycling techniques. This approach is scalable and environmentally friendly. It dramatically simplifies conventional battery recycling processes and makes it safe to disassemble and handle the materials. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/364347/original/file-20201019-15-3uirm9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Diagram showing steps to recycle an all-solid-state battery." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/364347/original/file-20201019-15-3uirm9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/364347/original/file-20201019-15-3uirm9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=298&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364347/original/file-20201019-15-3uirm9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=298&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364347/original/file-20201019-15-3uirm9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=298&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364347/original/file-20201019-15-3uirm9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364347/original/file-20201019-15-3uirm9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/364347/original/file-20201019-15-3uirm9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A proposed procedure for recycling solid-state battery packs directly and harvesting their materials for reuse.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://doi.org/10.1557/mre.2020.25">Tan et al., 2020</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Compared to recycling lithium-ion batteries, recycling solid-state batteries is intrinsically safer since they’re made entirely of nonflammable components. Moreover, in our proposed design the entire battery can be recycled directly without separating it into individual components. This feature dramatically reduces the complexity and cost of recycling them.</p>
<p>[<em>Deep knowledge, daily.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=deepknowledge">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter</a>.]</p>
<p>Our design is a proof-of-concept technology developed at the laboratory scale. It is ultimately up to private companies and public institutions, such as national laboratories or state-run waste facilities, to apply these recycling principles on an industrial scale.</p>
<h2>Rules for battery recycling</h2>
<p>Developing an easy-to-recycle battery is just one step. Many challenges associated with battery recycling stem from the complex logistics of handling them. Creating facilities, regulations and practices for collecting batteries is just as important as developing better recycling technologies. China, South Korea and the European Union are <a href="https://www.epw.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/d/c/dc43cdc9-ef56-4f8c-b442-d325aa8acf72/D775B276380B37ABF9A49BFD581DD1A5.sanders-testimony-07.17.2019.pdf">already developing battery recycling systems and mandates</a>.</p>
<p>One useful step would be for governments to require that batteries carry universal tags, similar to the internationally recognized standard labels used for plastics and metals recycling. These could help to educate consumers and waste collectors about how to handle different types of used batteries.</p>
<p>Markings could take the form of an electronic tag printed on battery labels with embedded information, such as chemistry type, age and manufacturer. Making this data readily available would facilitate automated sorting of large volumes of batteries at waste facilities.</p>
<p>It is also vital to improve international enforcement of recycling policies. Most battery waste is not generated where the batteries were originally produced, which makes it hard to hold manufacturers responsible for handling it. </p>
<p>Such an undertaking would require manufacturers and regulatory agencies to work together on newer recycling-friendly designs and better collection infrastructure. By confronting these challenges now, we believe it is possible to avoid or reduce the harmful effects of battery waste in the future.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/146065/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Zheng Chen receives funding from the National Science Foundation.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Darren H. S. Tan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Batteries power much of modern life, from electric and hybrid cars to computers, medical devices and cellphones. But unless they’re made easier and cheaper to recycle, a battery waste crisis looms.
Zheng Chen, Assistant Professor of Engineering, University of California, San Diego
Darren H. S. Tan, PhD Candidate in Chemical Engineering, University of California, San Diego
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/148189
2020-10-16T06:32:25Z
2020-10-16T06:32:25Z
Apple’s iPhone 12 comes without a charger: a smart waste-reduction move, or clever cash grab?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/363875/original/file-20201016-15-xi755k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=2%2C25%2C995%2C624&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Apple has released its new smartphone, the iPhone 12, without an accompanying <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/14/21516121/apple-iphone-earpods-wired-headphones-wall-charger-prices-cut-10-dollars">charger or earbuds</a>. Users have <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8840611/Apple-customers-outraged-learning-799-iPhone-12-NOT-include-charger-EarPods.html">harshly criticised</a> the company for this move and will have to purchase these accessories separately, if needed.</p>
<p>While some see it as cost-cutting, or a way for Apple to profit further by forcing customers to buy the products separately, the technology giant said the goal was to <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2020/10/apple-introduces-iphone-12-pro-and-iphone-12-pro-max-with-5g/">reduce its carbon footprint</a>.</p>
<p>This is the first time a major smartphone manufacturer has released a mobile without a charger. Earlier this year, reports emerged of <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/8/21317304/samsung-smartphone-chargers-2021-cost-environment">Samsung</a> considering a similar move, but it has yet to follow through.</p>
<p>But even if abandoning chargers is a way for Apple to save money, the action could have a significant, positive impact on the environment. </p>
<p>Australians, on average, buy a new mobile phone every <a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-chuck-that-old-mobile-phone-theres-gold-in-there-52074">18-24 months</a>. In Australia, there are about 23 million phones <a href="https://recyclingnearyou.com.au/phones/">sitting unused</a> — and therefore likely a similar number of accompanying chargers.</p>
<p>Just as single-use shopping bags contribute to plastic waste, unused and discarded electronic appliances contribute to electronic waste (e-waste).</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-chuck-that-old-mobile-phone-theres-gold-in-there-52074">Don't chuck that old mobile phone, there's gold in there</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>You can reuse a shopping bag, so why not your phone charger?</h2>
<p>Just over a decade ago, Australia started to ban single-use plastic bags, starting with South Australia. Today, <a href="https://www.environmentlawinsights.com/2020/04/30/moves-towards-banning-single-use-plastics-in-australia/">every</a> state and territory in Australia has enforced the ban except New South Wales — which intends to do so by the <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/nsw-to-join-all-other-states-in-banning-single-use-plastic-bags-20200308-p5480b.html">end of 2021</a>. </p>
<p>Since South Australia implemented its ban in 2008, state government estimates <a href="https://www.greenindustries.sa.gov.au/_literature_165559/Life_cycle_analysis_of_plastic_bag_alternatives_(2009)">suggest</a> it has avoided 8,000kg of marine litter each year — and abated more than 4,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.</p>
<p>The benefits for the environment have been clear. So, why are we so hesitant to do the same for e-waste? </p>
<h2>E-waste is a real, but fixable, environmental issue</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195925505000466">E-waste</a> includes different forms of discarded electric and electronic appliances that are no longer of value to their owners. This can include mobile phones, televisions, computers, chargers, keyboards, printers and earphones.</p>
<p>Currently there are about 4.78 billion mobile phone users globally (61.2% of the world’s <a href="https://www.bankmycell.com/blog/how-many-phones-are-in-the-world">population</a>). And mobile phone chargers alone generate more than <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20140307IPR38122/meps-push-for-common-charger-for-all-mobile-phones">51,000 tonnes</a> of e-waste per year. </p>
<p>On this basis, the environment would greatly benefit if more users reused phone chargers and if tech companies encouraged a shift to standardised charging that works across different mobile phone brands. </p>
<p>This would eventually lead to a reduction in the manufacturing of chargers and, potentially, less exploitation of natural resources.</p>
<h2>Who needs a charger with an Apple logo anyway?</h2>
<p>Citing an increase in e-waste and consumer frustration with multiple chargers, the <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/RC-9-2020-0070_EN.html">European Parliament</a> has been pushing for standardised chargers for mobile phones, tablets, e-book readers, smart cameras, wearable electronics and other small or medium-sized electronic devices. </p>
<p>This would negate the need for users to buy different chargers for various devices. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/363893/original/file-20201016-21-1jg67wf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Electronics 'sprout' from the ground." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/363893/original/file-20201016-21-1jg67wf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/363893/original/file-20201016-21-1jg67wf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363893/original/file-20201016-21-1jg67wf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363893/original/file-20201016-21-1jg67wf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363893/original/file-20201016-21-1jg67wf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363893/original/file-20201016-21-1jg67wf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363893/original/file-20201016-21-1jg67wf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Digital consumption is on the rise and unlikely to slow down any time soon. Recycling is one option, but how else can tech companies innovate to reduce environmental harm?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Of course, there’s no doubt phone companies want people to regularly buy new phones. Apple themselves have <a href="https://www.vox.com/2017/12/22/16807056/apple-slow-iphone-batteries">been</a> <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/02/apple-agrees-to-settlement-of-up-to-500-million-from-lawsuit-alleging-it-throttled-older-phones/">accused</a> of building a feature into phones that slows them down as they get older. Apple responded by saying this was simply to keep devices running as their batteries became worn down. </p>
<p>But even if this is the case, Apple’s decision to ship phones without chargers would still reduce the use of precious materials. A smaller product box would let Apple fit up to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR0g-1hnQPA">70%</a> more products onto shipping pallets — reducing carbon emissions from shipping. </p>
<p>However, it remains to be seen exactly how much this would assist in Apple’s environmental goals, especially if many consumers end up buying a charger separately anyway. </p>
<p>Apple equates its recent “climate conscious” changes to the iPhone 12 with removing <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2020/10/apple-introduces-iphone-12-pro-and-iphone-12-pro-max-with-5g/">450,000 cars</a> from the road annually. The company has a target of becoming <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2020/07/apple-commits-to-be-100-percent-carbon-neutral-for-its-supply-chain-and-products-by-2030/">carbon-neutral</a> by 2030. </p>
<h2>Are wireless chargers the answer?</h2>
<p>It’s worth considering whether Apple’s main incentive is simply to cut costs, or perhaps push people towards its own wireless charging devices.</p>
<p>These concerns are not without merit. Apple is one of the <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/19/apple-reaches-2-trillion-market-cap.html">richest companies in the world</a>, with most of its market capital made with <a href="https://sixcolors.com/post/2020/07/apple-q3-2020-results-everything-up/">hardware sales</a>. </p>
<p>Without a shift to a standardised plug-in charger, a wireless charging boom could be an environmental disaster (even though it’s perhaps <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/05/15/2034383/0/en/The-Global-Wireless-Charging-Market-size-is-expected-to-reach-25-6-billion-by-2026-rising-at-a-market-growth-of-28-4-CAGR-during-the-forecast-period.html">inevitable</a> due to its convenience). Wireless charging consumes around <a href="https://debugger.medium.com/wireless-charging-is-a-disaster-waiting-to-happen-48afdde70ed9">47%</a> more power than a regular cable. </p>
<p>This may be a concern, as the sustainability advantages of not including a charger could come alongside increased energy consumption. Currently, the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) sector is responsible for about <a href="https://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/467/20130107/ict-sector-account-2-percent-global-carbon.htm">2% of the world’s energy consumption</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/363889/original/file-20201016-21-9a8omy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Unused electronic devices in a pile." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/363889/original/file-20201016-21-9a8omy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/363889/original/file-20201016-21-9a8omy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363889/original/file-20201016-21-9a8omy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363889/original/file-20201016-21-9a8omy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363889/original/file-20201016-21-9a8omy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363889/original/file-20201016-21-9a8omy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363889/original/file-20201016-21-9a8omy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">How many unused devices do you have lying around the house?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The case for a universal plug-in charger</h2>
<p>Perhaps one solution to the dilemma is device trade-in services, which many companies already offer, including Apple and <a href="https://www.samsung.com/au/tradeup/">Samsung</a>.</p>
<p>Apple gives customers a discount on a new device if they <a href="https://www.apple.com/au/trade-in/">trade in their older model</a>, instead of throwing it out. Similar services are offered by third parties such as <a href="https://www.optus.com.au/shop/mobile/deals/trade-in">Optus</a>, <a href="https://www.telstra.com.au/plans-devices/trade-in">Telstra</a>, <a href="https://mobilemonster.com.au/">MobileMonster</a> and <a href="https://www.boomerangbuyback.com.au/">Boomerang Buy Back</a>.</p>
<p>Ultimately, however, the best solution would be for tech giants to agree on a universal plug-in charger for all small or medium-sized electronic devices, including mobile phones. </p>
<p>And hopefully, just as we all now take reusable bags to the grocer with us, in a few years we’ll be able to use a common charger for all our devices — and we’ll wonder what all the fuss was about.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/apple-releases-fast-5g-iphones-but-not-for-australia-and-were-lagging-behind-in-getting-there-148102">Apple releases fast 5G iPhones, but not for Australia. And we're lagging behind in getting there</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/148189/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Apple’s newest release comes without a wall charger and earpods. While the shift could reduce the company’s carbon footprint, users shifting to wireless charging will use more energy.
Michael Cowling, Associate Professor - Information & Communication Technology (ICT), CQUniversity Australia
Ritesh Chugh, Senior Lecturer/Discipline Lead – Information Systems and Analysis, CQUniversity Australia
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/143684
2020-09-16T19:51:23Z
2020-09-16T19:51:23Z
New Zealand invests in growing its domestic recycling industry to create jobs and dump less rubbish at landfills
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/358256/original/file-20200915-22-v5vvx6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=26%2C67%2C4465%2C2727&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock/corners74</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>New Zealand’s government recently put more than NZ$160 million towards developing a <a href="https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government-steps-action-waste-funds-recycling-infrastructure-and-expands-levy-scheme">domestic recycling sector</a> to create jobs as part of its <a href="https://budget.govt.nz/budget/2020/wellbeing/approach/covid-19-response-recovery-fund.htm">economic recovery</a> from the COVID-19 pandemic.</p>
<p>New Zealanders <a href="https://www.mfe.govt.nz/sites/default/files/media/Waste/national-resource-recovery-project-redacted.pdf">recycle 1.3 million tonnes</a> of materials each year, but 70% is currently exported. A recent NZ$36.7 million funding boost to <a href="https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/more-action-waste-%E2%80%93-government-funds-recycling-infrastructure-moves-standardise-kerbside">upgrade recycling plants</a> throughout the country followed a NZ$124 million <a href="https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government-steps-action-waste-funds-recycling-infrastructure-and-expands-levy-scheme">injection into recycling infrastructure</a> to grow processing capacity onshore. The investment signals a focus on supporting services that create employment and increase efficiency or reduce waste. </p>
<p>The potential for expansion in onshore processing of recyclable waste is enormous - and it could lead to 3.1 million tonnes of waste being diverted from landfills. But it will only work if it is part of a strategy with clear and measurable targets.</p>
<h2>COVID-19 impacts</h2>
<p>During New Zealand’s level 4 lockdown between March and May, general rubbish collection was classed as an essential service and continued to operate. But recycling was sporadic. </p>
<p>Whether or not recycling services continued depended on storage space and the ability to separate recyclables under lockdown conditions. Facilities that relied on manual sorting could not meet those requirements and their recycling was sent to landfill. Only recycling plants with automated sorting could operate. </p>
<p>New Zealand’s reliance on international markets showed a lack of resilience in the waste management system. Any changes in international prices were duplicated in New Zealand and while exports could continue under tighter border controls, it was no longer economically viable to do so for certain recyclable materials.</p>
<p>International cardboard and paper markets collapsed and operators without sufficient storage space <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/120727520/coronavirus-paper-recycling-sent-to-dump-in-auckland-as-export-doors-close">sent materials to landfill</a>. Most plastics became uneconomic to recycle. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Recycling and rubbish bins" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/358260/original/file-20200916-14-5bvm9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/358260/original/file-20200916-14-5bvm9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/358260/original/file-20200916-14-5bvm9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/358260/original/file-20200916-14-5bvm9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/358260/original/file-20200916-14-5bvm9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/358260/original/file-20200916-14-5bvm9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/358260/original/file-20200916-14-5bvm9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">New Zealanders recycle 1.3 million tonnes each year.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock/Josie Garner</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In contrast, for materials processed in New Zealand — including glass, metals and some plastics — recycling remains viable. Many local authorities are now limiting their plastic collections to those types that have <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/121984918/recycling-illusion-fades-as-councils-give-up-shipping-plastic-offshore">expanding onshore processing capacity</a>. </p>
<p>Soft packaging plastics are also being collected again, but <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/121445219/coronavirus-soft-plastic-recycling-to-return-to-select-countdown-stores">only in some places</a> and in smaller quantities than at the height of the <a href="https://www.recycling.kiwi.nz/">soft plastics recycling scheme</a>, to be turned into fence posts and other farm materials. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-happens-to-the-plastic-you-recycle-researchers-lift-the-lid-142831">What happens to the plastic you recycle? Researchers lift the lid</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The investment in onshore processing facilities is part of a move towards a <a href="https://www.mfe.govt.nz/waste/circular-economy">circular economy</a>. The government provided the <a href="https://www.mfe.govt.nz/more/funding/waste-minimisation-fund-funded-projects">capital for plants</a> to recycle <a href="http://www.petresin.org/news_introtoPET.asp">PET plastics</a>, used to make most drink bottles and food trays. PET plastics can be reprocessed several times. </p>
<p>This means items such as meat trays previously made from polystyrene, which is not recyclable from households, could be made from fully recyclable PET. Some of the <a href="https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government-steps-action-waste-funds-recycling-infrastructure-and-expands-levy-scheme">most recent funding</a> goes towards providing <a href="https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/more-action-waste-%E2%80%93-government-funds-recycling-infrastructure-moves-standardise-kerbside">automatic optical sorters</a> to allow recycling plants to keep operating under lockdown conditions. </p>
<h2>Regulation changes</h2>
<p>The government also announced an expansion of the landfill levy to cover more types of landfills and for those that accept household waste<a href="https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government-steps-action-waste-funds-recycling-infrastructure-and-expands-levy-scheme">a progressive increase</a> from NZ$10 to NZ$60 per tonne of waste. </p>
<p>This will provide more money for the <a href="https://www.mfe.govt.nz/more/funding/waste-minimisation-fund">Waste Minimisation Fund</a>, which in turn funds projects that lead to more onshore processing and jobs. </p>
<p>Last year’s ban on single-use plastic bags took more than <a href="https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/extraordinary-effort-kiwis-sees-plastic-bags-cut-billion-one-year-ban-ministry-environment">a billion bags out of circulation</a>, which represents about 180 tonnes of plastic that is not landfilled. But this is a small portion of the 3.7 million tonnes of waste that go to landfill each year.</p>
<p>More substantial diversion schemes include <a href="https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government-regulate-environmentally-harmful-plastic-packaging-tyres-e-waste">mandatory product stewardship schemes</a> currently being implemented for tyres, electrical and electronic products, agrichemicals and their containers, refrigerants and other synthetic greenhouse gases, farm plastics and packaging. </p>
<p>An example of the potential gains for product stewardship schemes is e-waste. Currently New Zealand produces about <a href="https://www.mfe.govt.nz/sites/default/files/media/Waste/priority-waste-streams-discussion-doc-pdf.pdf">80,000 tonnes of e-waste</a> per year, but recycles only about 2% (1,600 tonnes), most of which goes offshore for processing. Under the scheme, e-waste will be brought to collection depots and more will be processed onshore. </p>
<p>Landfilling New Zealand’s total annual e-waste provides about 50 jobs. Recycling it could create 200 jobs and reusing it is estimated to <a href="https://knowledgeauckland.org.nz/media/1071/tr2019-009-cba-on-waste-diversion-from-landfill-homes-land-community-auckland.pdf">provide work for 6,400 people</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/waste-not-want-not-morrison-governments-1b-recycling-plan-must-include-avoiding-waste-in-the-first-place-142038">Waste not, want not: Morrison government's $1b recycling plan must include avoiding waste in the first place</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>But all these initiatives are not enough. We need a coordinated strategy with clear targets. </p>
<p>The current <a href="https://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/waste/new-zealand-waste-strategy-reducing-harm-improving-efficiency">Waste Strategy</a> has only two goals: to reduce the harmful effects of waste and improve resource use efficiency. Such vague goals have resulted in a <a href="https://www.mfe.govt.nz/waste/guidance-and-technical-information/waste-disposal-levy/monthly-levy-graph">37% increase in waste disposal to landfill</a> in the last decade. </p>
<p>An earlier 2002 strategy achieved <a href="https://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/waste/targets-new-zealand-waste-strategy-2006-review-progress">significantly better progress</a>. The challenge is clear. A government strategy with measurable targets for waste diversion from landfill can lead us to better resource use and more jobs.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/143684/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jeff Seadon does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
New Zealand’s potential to expand its domestic recycling sector is enormous. It could create jobs and divert millions of tonnes of waste from landfills, as long as there are clear, measurable targets.
Jeff Seadon, Senior Lecturer, Auckland University of Technology
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/143654
2020-08-19T11:35:06Z
2020-08-19T11:35:06Z
We’re using microbes to clean up toxic electronic waste – here’s how
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352251/original/file-20200811-15-8m9k7p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4288%2C2848&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/electronic-waste-ready-recycling-139234613">Ltummy/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>If you were to stack up all the electronic waste produced annually around the world it would weigh as much as all the commercial aircrafts ever produced, or 5,000 Eiffel towers. This is a growing “tsunami” <a href="https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/waste/-tsunami-of-e-waste-to-hit-the-world-soon-warns-new-un-report-62958">according to the UN</a>, and it’s fed by all the phones, tablets and other electronic devices that are thrown away each day. </p>
<p>Of the 44.7 million metric tonnes of electronic waste (often shortened to “e-waste”) produced around the world in 2017, 90% was sent to landfill, incinerated, or illegally traded. Europe and the US accounted for almost half of this – the EU is predicted to produce 12 million tonnes in 2020 alone. If nothing is done to combat the problem, the world is expected to produce more than 120 million tonnes annually by 2050.</p>
<p>Rich countries in Europe and North America export much of their e-waste to developing countries in Africa and Asia. A lot of this ends up accumulating in landfills, where toxic metals leach out and enter groundwater and food chains, threatening human health and the environment.</p>
<p>As daunting as this problem seems, we’re working on a solution. Using a process called bioleaching, we’re extracting and recycling these metals from e-waste using non-toxic bacteria.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/global-electronic-waste-up-21-in-five-years-and-recycling-isnt-keeping-up-141997">Global electronic waste up 21% in five years, and recycling isn't keeping up</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Treasure from waste</h2>
<p>It might surprise you to learn that those toxic metals are actually very valuable. It’s a bitter irony that the e-waste mountains collecting in the world’s poorest places actually contain a fortune. Precious metals are found in your phone and computer, and each year <a href="https://unu.edu/news/news/only-15-of-gold-and-silver-used-in-high-tech-goods-is-recovered.html">US$21 billion worth of gold and silver</a> are used to manufacture new electronic devices. E-waste is thought to contain <a href="https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/press-release/un-report-time-seize-opportunity-tackle-challenge-e-waste">7% of the world’s gold</a>, and could be used to manufacture new products if it could be recycled safely.</p>
<p>With an estimated worth of <a href="https://unu.edu/media-relations/releases/un-world-economic-forum-and-partners-come-together-to-address-e-waste-challenges.html#info">US$62.5 billion a year</a>, the economic benefits of recycling e-waste are clear. And it would help meet the shortfall for new natural resources that are needed to manufacture new products. Some of the elements on a printed circuit board – essentially the brain of a computer – are raw materials <a href="http://www.ovam.be/sites/default/files/atoms/files/Study%20on%20Critical%20Raw%20Materials%20at%20EU%20Level.pdf">whose supply is at risk</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A row of computer circuit boards." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352250/original/file-20200811-18-1p0plts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352250/original/file-20200811-18-1p0plts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=320&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352250/original/file-20200811-18-1p0plts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=320&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352250/original/file-20200811-18-1p0plts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=320&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352250/original/file-20200811-18-1p0plts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352250/original/file-20200811-18-1p0plts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352250/original/file-20200811-18-1p0plts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Precious metals used in electronics are worth a fortune, but most languish in landfills after the product is discarded.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/printed-circuit-boards-on-shell-fabric-496332808">DMSU/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Other elements found in electronics are considered some of the periodic table’s <a href="https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/greenchemistry/research-innovation/endangered-elements.html">most endangered</a>. There is a serious threat that they will be depleted within the next century. With today’s <a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20140314-the-worlds-scarcest-material">trends of natural resource use</a>, natural sources of platinum will be depleted in about 15 years and silver in 20 years.</p>
<p>But recovering these materials is more difficult than you might imagine.</p>
<p>Pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy are the current technologies used for extracting and recycling e-waste metals. They involve high temperatures and toxic chemicals, and so are extremely harmful to the environment. They require lots of energy and produce large volumes of toxic gas too, creating more pollution and leaving a large carbon footprint.</p>
<p>But bioleaching has existed as a solution to these problems as far back as the era of the Roman Empire. The modern mining industry has relied on it for decades, using microbes – mainly bacteria, but also some fungi – to extract metals from ores.</p>
<p>Microorganisms chemically modify the metal, setting it free from the surrounding rock and allowing it to dissolve in a microbial soup, from which the metal can be isolated and purified. Bioleaching requires very little energy and so has a small carbon footprint. No toxic chemicals are used either, making it environmentally friendly and safe.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Blue bacillus bacteria cells floating in a microbial soup." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352248/original/file-20200811-20-3xsqvs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352248/original/file-20200811-20-3xsqvs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=350&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352248/original/file-20200811-20-3xsqvs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=350&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352248/original/file-20200811-20-3xsqvs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=350&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352248/original/file-20200811-20-3xsqvs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=440&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352248/original/file-20200811-20-3xsqvs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=440&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352248/original/file-20200811-20-3xsqvs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=440&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Certain bacteria have been used for centuries to recover valuable metals from ores.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/close-3d-microscopic-blue-bacteria-524613634">Paulista/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Despite how useful it is, applying bioleaching to e-waste has mostly been an academic pursuit. But our <a href="https://www.coventry.ac.uk/business/our-services/projects/current-projects/bioleaching/">research group</a> is leading the first industrial effort. In a <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12649-020-01128-9">recent study</a>, we reported how we managed to extract copper from discarded computer circuit boards using this method and recycle it into high-quality foil.</p>
<p>Different metals have different properties, so new methods must be constantly developed. Extracting metals by bioleaching, though pollution-free, is also slower than the traditional methods. Thankfully though, genetic engineering has already shown <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3367458/">that we can improve</a> how efficiently these microbes can be used in green recycling. </p>
<p>After our success recycling metals from discarded computers, scientists are trying other types of e-waste, including electric batteries. But developing better recycling techniques is only one piece of the puzzle. For a completely circular economy, recycling should start with manufacturers and producers. Designing devices that are more easily recycled and tackling the throw-away culture that treats the growing problem with indifference are both equally vital in slowing the oncoming tsunami.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/143654/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sebastien Farnaud receives funding from Innovate UK for a KTP (Knowledge Tranfer Partnership) with Network 2 Supplies Limited </span></em></p>
Within the growing mountains of electronic waste, precious metals lie waiting to be recovered.
Sebastien Farnaud, Professor of Bio-innovation and Enterprise, Coventry University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/141997
2020-07-10T14:38:21Z
2020-07-10T14:38:21Z
Global electronic waste up 21% in five years, and recycling isn’t keeping up
<p>Each year, the total amount of electric and electronic equipment the world uses <a href="https://globalewaste.org/news/surge-global-waste/">grows by 2.5 million tonnes</a>. Phones, radios, toys, laptops – if it has a power or battery supply it’s likely to join a growing mountain of “e-waste” after use.</p>
<p>In 2019 alone, the world generated 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste. That’s about 7.3 kilograms per person and equivalent in weight to 350 cruise ships. Asia produced the lion’s share – 24.9 million tonnes – followed by the Americas (13.1 million tonnes) and Europe (12 million tonnes), while Africa and Oceania generated 2.9 and 0.7 million tonnes respectively.</p>
<p>By 2030, the global total is likely to swell to 74.7 million tonnes, almost a doubling of the annual amount of new e-waste in just 16 years. This makes it the world’s fastest growing domestic waste stream, fuelled mainly by more people buying electronic products with shorter life cycles and fewer options for repair.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346615/original/file-20200709-87086-1pb82yb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346615/original/file-20200709-87086-1pb82yb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346615/original/file-20200709-87086-1pb82yb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346615/original/file-20200709-87086-1pb82yb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346615/original/file-20200709-87086-1pb82yb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346615/original/file-20200709-87086-1pb82yb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346615/original/file-20200709-87086-1pb82yb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Discarded electric and electronic products are forming the fastest growing domestic waste stream worldwide.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">UNU/UNITAR SCYCLE©/Yassyn Sidki</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These products can help improve living standards, and it’s good that more and more people can afford them. But growing global demand is outpacing our capacity to recycle or dispose of electronic products safely. Once they’re obsolete and discarded, these products can end up accumulating in the environment, polluting habitats and harming people and wildlife.</p>
<h2>E-waste recycling</h2>
<p>Only 17.4% of 2019’s e-waste was formally collected and recycled. Since 2014, the amount of recycled e-waste has only grown by 1.8 million tonnes each year. The total amount of e-waste generated increased by 9.2 million tonnes over the same period. At the same time, the amount of undocumented e-waste is increasing. </p>
<p>In <a href="https://globalewaste.org/">new research</a>, we found that Europe has the highest collection and recycling rate, covering about 42.5% of the total e-waste generated in 2019. Asia ranked second at 11.7%, the Americas and Oceania were similar at 9.4% and 8.8%, and Africa had the lowest rate at 0.9%. What happened with the rest (82.6%) of the world’s e-waste generated in 2019 isn’t clear. </p>
<p>In high income countries, around 8% of e-waste is thought to be discarded in waste bins, while 7%-20% is exported. In lower income countries, the picture is less clear, as e-waste is mostly managed informally.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346690/original/file-20200709-26-1en9wzl.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346690/original/file-20200709-26-1en9wzl.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346690/original/file-20200709-26-1en9wzl.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346690/original/file-20200709-26-1en9wzl.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346690/original/file-20200709-26-1en9wzl.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346690/original/file-20200709-26-1en9wzl.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=558&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346690/original/file-20200709-26-1en9wzl.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=558&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346690/original/file-20200709-26-1en9wzl.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=558&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">How the world managed e-waste in 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">UNU/UNITAR SCYCLE©/Nienke Haccoû</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Without a reliable system of waste management, toxic substances contained in e-waste, such as mercury, brominated flame retardants, chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons, are more likely to be released into the environment and harm the people who live, work and play in e-waste scrapyards. </p>
<p>Mercury is used in computer monitors and fluorescent lighting, but exposure to it can cause brain damage. We estimated that about 50 tonnes of mercury is contained in these undocumented flows of e-waste that end up in the environment each year.</p>
<p>E-waste doesn’t just pose a health risk though. It also contributes directly to global warming. Dumped temperature-exchange equipment, found in fridges and air conditioners, can slowly release greenhouse gases. About 98 million tonnes are thought to leak from scrapyards each year, equivalent to 0.3% of global emissions from the energy sector.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346609/original/file-20200709-87080-10upcy7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346609/original/file-20200709-87080-10upcy7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346609/original/file-20200709-87080-10upcy7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346609/original/file-20200709-87080-10upcy7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346609/original/file-20200709-87080-10upcy7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346609/original/file-20200709-87080-10upcy7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346609/original/file-20200709-87080-10upcy7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Discarded e-waste isn’t just an environmental problem, it’s also an economic opportunity.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">UNU/UNITAR SCYCLE©/Yassyn Sidki</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Aside from toxins, e-waste also contains precious metals and useful raw materials, such as gold, silver, copper and platinum. The total value of all this discarded as e-waste in 2019 has been conservatively valued at US$57 billion (£45 billion) – a sum greater than the GDP of most countries.</p>
<p>But since only 17.4% of 2019’s e-waste was collected and recycled, just US$10 billion of this was recovered in an environmentally responsible way. Only 4 million tonnes of raw materials was made available for recycling.</p>
<p>Thankfully, the world is slowly waking up to the scale of this problem. As of the end of 2019, 78 countries, covering 71% of the world’s population, either had a policy for managing e-waste or were putting regulation in place – an increase of 5% from 2017. But in many of these countries, policies still aren’t legally binding and regulation isn’t enforced. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346613/original/file-20200709-38-idlyo7.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346613/original/file-20200709-38-idlyo7.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346613/original/file-20200709-38-idlyo7.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=268&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346613/original/file-20200709-38-idlyo7.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=268&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346613/original/file-20200709-38-idlyo7.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=268&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346613/original/file-20200709-38-idlyo7.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=336&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346613/original/file-20200709-38-idlyo7.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=336&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346613/original/file-20200709-38-idlyo7.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=336&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Governments worldwide are enacting new laws to better manage e-waste.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Credits© Illustrations UNU/UNITAR SCYCLE -Nienke Haccoû</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As researchers, we’ll continue to monitor the world’s e-waste to support the creation of a circular economy and sustainable societies. We hope that our efforts to track this growing problem can spur governments to act with an urgency that reflects the scale of the challenge, with laws and enforcement that can drastically increase the proportion of e-waste that’s recycled safely.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/141997/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Vanessa Forti is affiliated with United Nations University (UNU) / United Nations International Training and Research (UNITAR) - SCYCLE</span></em></p>
Demand for electric and electronic products is fuelling the meteoric rise in e-waste.
Vanessa Forti, Programme Associate at Sustainable Cycles (UNU-ViE-SCYCLE), United Nations University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/133288
2020-03-29T17:33:20Z
2020-03-29T17:33:20Z
New technologies to recycle electronic waste
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/319392/original/file-20200309-118956-1w39ts4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=59%2C5%2C1610%2C859&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Pulsed extraction column (normally positioned vertically).</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">JCP Gabriel, CEA Marcoule DES/ISEC/DMRC</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Our connected consumer society generates a lot of electronic waste, <a href="http://i.unu.edu/media/unu.edu/news/52624/UNU-1stGlobal-E-Waste-Monitor-2014-small.pdf">around 50 million tonnes per year worldwide</a>. It is even currently the waste that shows the strongest growth from one year to the next. The value of the raw materials included in this waste is estimated at <a href="https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Climate-Change/Documents/GEM%202017/Global-E-waste%20Monitor%202017.pdf">50-60 billion euros</a>, depending on materials prices. Legislation and recycling channels for this waste are organised in many countries, thanks to <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320077046_Operating_models_and_development_trends_in_the_extended_producer_responsibility_system_for_waste_electrical_and_electronic_equipment">extended producer responsibility systems</a>, but currently only 20% is recycled in a certified process . In addition, of the sixty chemical elements present in electronic waste, only a minority is recycled, ten in number_: gold, silver, platinum, cobalt, tin, copper, iron, aluminium and lead). Everything else ends up _ in fine_ wasted in landfills.</p>
<p>The ideal, from the point of view of the circular economy, would be on the one hand to prolong as much as possible the lifespan of these electronic devices, in particular by prolonging the first use, and on the other hand to facilitate and favour reuse or repair. The fact remains that these landfills represent real “urban mines”: potential deposits for those who know how to exploit them.</p>
<h2>How do we deal with electronic waste?</h2>
<p>Recycling electronic waste means separating materials, molecules or chemical elements, so that they can be sold as raw materials for the manufacture of new products. First you have to dismantle the devices and components, sort them, grind them, and finally separate the materials, most often by incineration and then by solution based chemical processes.</p>
<p>Getting more chemicals from the urban mine is easier said than done. Electronic waste is very varied in nature and is often mixed with other types of wastes. The composition of the waste to be treated therefore varies from one shovel of waste incinerator’s ash or from one batch of waste to another. This contrasts with the exploitation of a “traditional” mine where the composition of the ore is much simpler and constant, at least in comparison.</p>
<p>The chemist is faced with an extremely complex separation problem. This partly explains why the recycling industry is currently focusing on the most concentrated or economically attractive metals to recover, hence the list above.</p>
<h2>New strategy: dismantle, sort, grind, dissolve</h2>
<p>Sorting aims to minimize the chemical complexity of the mixture to be treated, as well as its variability. It can be done at all scales: that of the device (type, generation), of its modules (printed circuits, batteries, external envelopes, frames, etc.), of their elementary electronic components (cables, resistances, capacities, chips, bare boards etc.), or even at the level of the powder resulting from grinding, which can be carried out on all the scales described.</p>
<p>The complete disassembly of devices is theoretically the most effective approach. But, due to the multiplicity and complexity of equipment, it’s difficult to automate this step: disassembly is still mainly carried out manually, which means that its cost is often too high to allow sorting down to the level of the elementary components.</p>
<p>Consequently, the most common approach among recyclers (<a href="https://www.mtb-recycling.fr/en/weee-recycling.html">MTB</a>, <a href="https://www.paprec.com/en/solutions-and-services/recycling-solutions/batteries-and-weee">Paprec</a>, <a href="https://www.veolia.com/en/solution/recycling-weee-electronic-waste">Véolia</a>), before any chemical treatment, is the grinding at the scale of the device or its modules, followed by steps of separation of the particles by physical methods using the differences in densities or magnetic properties. Depending on the purity of the powders obtained, thermal or chemical treatments are then used to refine the composition of the final products.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/318836/original/file-20200305-106589-18yh30a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/318836/original/file-20200305-106589-18yh30a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1393&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318836/original/file-20200305-106589-18yh30a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1393&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318836/original/file-20200305-106589-18yh30a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1393&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318836/original/file-20200305-106589-18yh30a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1751&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318836/original/file-20200305-106589-18yh30a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1751&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318836/original/file-20200305-106589-18yh30a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1751&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Pulsed extraction column, 5 cm diameter.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">JCP Gabriel, CEA Marcoule DES/ISEC/DMRC</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the latter case, the most used process of separation in solution of chemical elements is the so-called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid%E2%80%93liquid_extraction">liquid-liquid extraction</a>. It usually consists first of dissolving the metals or their oxides in an acid (for example nitric acid), then making an emulsion, that is to say the equivalent of a French vinaigrette. The acid solution (“vinegar”) is vigorously mixed with an organic solvent (such as kerosene, “oil”) in an extraction column and one or more molecules (“mustard”) having the property of promoting the transfer of certain metals (“flavours”) from acid to solvent. As this separation step is rarely perfect, it is repeated in series in order to reach the desired purity levels. Several dozen, even several hundred, successive extractions are sometimes necessary to achieve the desired purity.</p>
<p>Optimising the costs and efficiency of such processes requires the study of the influence of a very large number of parameters (for example, the concentrations of chemical species, acidity, temperature, etc.) in order to define the combination which represents the best compromise.</p>
<h2>New processes to increase the recycling rate</h2>
<p>In the laboratory <a href="https://research.ntu.edu.sg/scarce/Pages/Home.aspx">SCARCE</a>, we are working on new processes which will ultimately allow “ increase the number of chemical elements recycled and increase their recycling rates: on the one hand with mechanical processes (automation of disassembly and sorting), on the other hand with chemical extraction processes in solution.</p>
<p>For example, as we have seen, the chemical composition of electronic waste is very variable. The development of an extraction process, for a specific chemical composition, can easily take five to ten years of research and optimization and the adaptation of an existing process to a new composition (for example a new metal) requires several months to several years. This is hardly compatible with the volumes of waste, the resources and the time available for recycling waste.</p>
<h2>Microscopic piping to optimize the extraction of elements</h2>
<p>To reduce the time and cost of developing new extraction processes, we have miniaturized and integrated in a single device <a href="https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Microfluidics">microfluidics</a> automated all the equipment necessary for a process study. In a microfluidic device, the piping is smaller than a millimetre (in our case 100 µm thick, the thickness of two hairs or less). This allows very small amounts of material to be used: a few microliters of solvents and acids instead of millilitres, and a few milligrams of chemical compounds instead of grams. With the integration of analysis methods (X-rays, infrared and sensors), we can study the different combinations of parameters continuously, automatically and quickly. This allows us to do a study in a few days which can normally take up to several months.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/318837/original/file-20200305-106584-11swhbs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/318837/original/file-20200305-106584-11swhbs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318837/original/file-20200305-106584-11swhbs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318837/original/file-20200305-106584-11swhbs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318837/original/file-20200305-106584-11swhbs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318837/original/file-20200305-106584-11swhbs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318837/original/file-20200305-106584-11swhbs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Elemental component of the 5 cm side extraction microfluidic chip. Fluids flow through the half-pipe in a zigzag pattern and the chemical elements pass through a membrane sandwiched between two such components. The piping, pumps and analysis modules, e.g. infrared, are added.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">A. El Mangaar, JCP Gabriel, CEA</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Additional advantage of microfluidics compared to a conventional device: we better understand the phenomena of transfers of chemical elements at the interface between water and oil. Indeed, we control both the exchange surface between water and oil thanks to the use of a porous membranes, as well as the contact time between the two phases, which are pushed into the microfluidic channels using computer controlled syringe pumps. Material flows can then be calculated precisely.</p>
<h2>Recovery of rare earths: precious and little recycled materials</h2>
<p>This approach recently allowed us to study the <a href="https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2020/cp/c9cp06569e">extraction of strategic metals</a> found in mobile phones. These metals, essential in modern technologies, are produced mainly in China and are <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/documents/10882/attachments/1/translations/en/renditions/pdf">little recycled at present</a> – under 5%. This is all the more unfortunate as their production is very expensive and can pose <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/04/radioactive-waste-standoff-could-slash-high-tech-s-supply-rare-earth-elements">societal and environmental problems</a>.</p>
<p>Our results show that the combination of two specific extracting molecules makes it possible to extract rare earths with an efficiency almost 100 times greater than the efficiency of extractions with the molecules used separately. In addition, we have demonstrated efficient extraction at acid concentrations 10 to 100 times lower than those used in industry, which generates less pollution. We have also identified combinations of parameters that make it possible to separate the rare earths much more efficiently from each other, which is conventionally very difficult to achieve in a few steps. We are now studying the transposition of these results, obtained on a very small scale, to that of the industrial production tool.</p>
<p>Finally, our microfluidic approach is modular which means that each of the modules can find its usefulness in other cases, for example, the liquid-liquid extraction module can be useful for the study of processes of extraction of organic molecules (essential oils); or the <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.analchem.7b04425">infrared spectroscopy module</a> for online monitoring of agrifood or pharmaceutical processes. It allows you to determine the amount of unbound water – it is the water that surrounds the molecules that are dissolved in it, but that do not interact with them, a key parameter to follow in many formulations of these industries.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/133288/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jean-Christophe P. Gabriel receives funding from (i) the European Research Council under the European Union's 7th Framework Program (FP/2007-2013)/ERC Grant agreement n°320915 "REECYCLE"; (ii) Singapore's National Research Foundation, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore, the Ministry of National Development, Singapore, and National Environment Agency, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resource, Singapore under the Closing the Waste Loop R&D Initiative as part of the Urban Solutions & Sustainability – Integration Fund (Award No. USS-IF-2018-4). He is affiliated with CEA, Nanyang Technological University and the Materials Research Society.</span></em></p>
Electronic waste is accumulating and is a resource to be exploited. Microfluidic devices allow the development of recycling, including the recycling of rare earths – a precious resource.
Jean-Christophe P. Gabriel, Directeur de Recherche au CEA (IRAMIS/NIMBE de Saclay) et Professeur invité à NTU/ERI@N (Singapour), Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/127323
2020-02-02T18:54:03Z
2020-02-02T18:54:03Z
US and EU laws show Australia’s Right to Repair moment is well overdue
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/312691/original/file-20200129-154302-id299m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C6%2C4594%2C3442&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In many cases, it just seems easier and cheaper to replace than repair broken devices. But it needn't be that way.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australians are buying more and more gadgets and devices. Our homes and workplaces seemed to be filled with smart phones, drones, Fitbits, internet- connected fridges, air-conditioners that turn off when people leave the room: anything that makes our lives more convenient.</p>
<p>Behind the scenes, of course, there’s a growing pile of discarded, broken devices. The software that makes these devices so appealing also often prevents us accessing a cheap and easy fix. </p>
<p>But as the US and EU experience has shown, Right to Repair legislation – laws that make it easier for consumers, repairers and tinkerers to fix their broken goods – can offer an attractive alternative to the problem of overflowing, dangerous e-waste.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/design-and-repair-must-work-together-to-undo-our-legacy-of-waste-119932">Design and repair must work together to undo our legacy of waste</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Easier to replace than repair</h2>
<p>More often than not, broken devices must be sent to the manufacturer for diagnosis before repair can even start. In many cases, it just seems easier and cheaper to replace than repair. </p>
<p>Local repairers often do not have access to either the relevant technologies or the information needed to repair a broken device.</p>
<p>And it’s not just about hand-held gadgets. </p>
<p>As the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/New%20car%20retailing%20industry%20draft%20report.pdf">observed</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>today’s new cars contain in excess of 10 million lines of computer code — more code than is used to operate the avionics and on-board support systems of modern airliners. New cars are now effectively “computers on wheels” and require sophisticated software to work.</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/312693/original/file-20200129-154350-cz3mkp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/312693/original/file-20200129-154350-cz3mkp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/312693/original/file-20200129-154350-cz3mkp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312693/original/file-20200129-154350-cz3mkp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312693/original/file-20200129-154350-cz3mkp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312693/original/file-20200129-154350-cz3mkp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312693/original/file-20200129-154350-cz3mkp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312693/original/file-20200129-154350-cz3mkp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Cars also contain complex software difficult to fix.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As one <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-03/does-australia-need-a-right-to-repair/10864852">mechanic</a> told the ABC:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We could spend up to $300 a month on data, just to be able to fix a certain model of car. It’s not cheap and there’s a lot you still can’t get from the dealers.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The same mechanic <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-03/does-australia-need-a-right-to-repair/10864852">said</a> he often worked 12-hour days mostly researching how to fix technical equipment in cars.</p>
<p>The Australian government has said it will work toward a <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/consultation/c2019-t358022">mandatory scheme</a> for the sharing of motor vehicle service and repair information, saying the ACCC will enforce it and apply penalties after a transition period.</p>
<p>Change may be coming, albeit somewhat slowly. In 2018, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission brought an action against Apple for telling consumers their warranty would not be honoured if they took their iPhone to a third-party repairer. </p>
<p>This was found to be a breach of <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-44529315">consumer law</a> and Apple was fined A$9 million. The finding sent a strong message to the community that manufacturers should not be controlling the aftermarket to the exclusions of others.</p>
<p>Naturally, consumers are also frustrated by the lack of repair options and more people are beginning to realise the environmental damage of a system that preferences replacement over repair. </p>
<p>Economy-wide change is needed. Australia can look abroad for inspiration.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-cant-we-fix-our-own-electronic-devices-77601">Why can't we fix our own electronic devices?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/312708/original/file-20200130-154288-qicyif.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/312708/original/file-20200130-154288-qicyif.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/312708/original/file-20200130-154288-qicyif.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312708/original/file-20200130-154288-qicyif.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312708/original/file-20200130-154288-qicyif.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312708/original/file-20200130-154288-qicyif.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312708/original/file-20200130-154288-qicyif.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312708/original/file-20200130-154288-qicyif.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A global Right to Repair movement is growing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A global groundswell</h2>
<p>Globally, there has been a groundswell of support from motorists, farmers, designers, repairers and environmentalists for a Right to Repair movement. </p>
<p>The US has recognised the right to repair since legislation was <a href="https://massrighttorepair.org/press.html">passed</a> in 2012 giving motorists access to car spare parts and repair services in Massachusetts. The law had a ripple effect across the US, with at least <a href="https://www.ifixit.com/News/14429/california-right-to-repair-in-2019">20 states</a> now proposing or passing Right to Repair legislation.</p>
<p>The EU has a Right to Repair regime through the EU EcoDesign Directive, which comes into force next year and requires manufacturers to create repairable goods and provide spare parts for up to ten years.</p>
<p>In Australia, we have a number of great repair initiatives including the <a href="https://bower.org.au/">Bower Reuse and Repair Centre</a> in Sydney, the Victorian Repair Cafe and many passionate <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mendaussie/">repairers</a>. And Australia’s consumer affairs ministers last year <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-30/smartphone-electronics-right-to-repair-request-ministers/11462572">promised</a> to consider laws allowing the repair of phones. </p>
<p>More broadly, we need a community-wide dialogue with consumers, motorists, farmers, repairers, manufacturers, designers, legislators and policy makers about how an Australian Right to Repair scheme might look.</p>
<p>As resources grow scarce, recycling options wane and our rubbish dumps overflow, there is no time to lose. </p>
<hr>
<p><em>Griffith University is hosting a public seminar on the Right to Repair at their Southbank Campus on Wednesday February 5, 2020. Details can be found <a href="https://app.secure.griffith.edu.au/events/event/63873">here</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/127323/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Right to Repair laws make it easier for consumers, repairers and tinkerers to fix their broken goods. It’s an attractive alternative to the dangers of overflowing e-waste.
Leanne Wiseman, Professor of Law, Griffith University, Associate Director Australian Centre for Intellectual Property in Agriculture (ACIPA), Griffith University
Kanchana Kariyawasam, Senior Lecturer, Griffith University, Adjunct Research Fellow, Australian Centre for Intellectual Property in Agriculture (ACIPA), Griffith University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/128387
2019-12-16T19:14:26Z
2019-12-16T19:14:26Z
How to make holiday gift-giving eco-friendly — and more meaningful
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307196/original/file-20191216-123987-muj5uu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=308%2C154%2C6996%2C4583&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Home-baked cookies are a great gift for someone with a sweet tooth.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>There’s always one on the list — the person who has everything and is notoriously hard to please. That person has likely also received some terrible gimmicky gift, just so that they have something to unwrap. </p>
<p>It’s time to put an end to it. Don’t buy the novelty baby Yoda. Don’t buy that game of <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Potty-Putter-Toilet-Time-Golf/dp/B000LC65QA">toilet golf</a>. Don’t buy the wine flask bra. Just. Don’t. </p>
<p>Holiday shopping has become an extension of the consumption economy. Spending is on the rise and household debt burden continues to <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/economy/article-canadians-debt-burden-rises-sparking-concern/">rise in Canada</a>, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/20/how-much-debt-americans-have-at-every-age.html">the United States</a>, Australia, China and elsewhere.</p>
<p>Holiday marketing only intensifies the process of consumers purchasing things and then disposing of them as quickly as possible. Of all the materials flowing through the consumer economy, <a href="https://storyofstuff.org/wp-content/uploads/movies/scripts/Story%20of%20Stuff.pdf">only one per cent remain in use six months after purchase</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-your-online-shopping-is-impeding-canadas-emissions-targets-89906">How your online shopping is impeding Canada’s emissions targets</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Of course, this makes way for the opportunity to buy more stuff. Consumerism reaches a frenzied peak as the holidays approach, spurred on by Black Friday, Cyber Monday and other last chance shopping deals that evoke a sense of urgency and scarcity before Christmas. </p>
<p>This year, U.S. shoppers have already spent <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/243439/holiday-retail-sales-in-the-united-states/">US$729 billion on holiday shopping</a>. In Canada, we <a href="https://www.narcity.com/news/ca/how-much-canadians-spend-at-christmas-is-more-than-rent-in-some-places">spend more on holiday festivities and gifts than we do on rent</a>, which added up to $19 billion last year.</p>
<h2>How much stuff?</h2>
<p>Landfills see a spike in materials around the holidays, from wrapping paper to ribbon and unwanted gifts: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>Canadians will send a whopping <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2017/12/28/canadians-will-throw-out-540000-tonnes-of-wrapping-paper-and-gift-bags-this-christmas-season.html">540,000 tonnes of wrapping paper to the landfill this Christmas season</a>. </p></li>
<li><p>Americans will use 61,000 kilometres of ribbon — <a href="https://www.neefusa.org/holiday-waste">enough to circle the Earth, and then some</a>. </p></li>
<li><p>Australians spent <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/money/saving/christmas-waste-revealed-in-400m-of-unwanted-gifts-20191118-p53bnv.html">$400 million Australian dollars on 10 million unwanted gifts in 2018</a>.</p></li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307197/original/file-20191216-124004-jssyl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307197/original/file-20191216-124004-jssyl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=263&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307197/original/file-20191216-124004-jssyl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=263&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307197/original/file-20191216-124004-jssyl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=263&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307197/original/file-20191216-124004-jssyl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=330&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307197/original/file-20191216-124004-jssyl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=330&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307197/original/file-20191216-124004-jssyl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=330&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Wrap gifts in fabric to avoid sending paper, ribbon and tape to the landfill.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>So, what can an environmentally conscious gift-giver do to decrease the amount of waste associated with a well-meaning gift? The good news is, there are a number of hacks around this giving conundrum and, it turns out, your socially responsible gift doesn’t have to fall flat. It can even lead to more positive emotions on the part of the recipient than traditional gifts. </p>
<h2>Skip the wrapping</h2>
<p>Perhaps the easiest way to reduce the amount of holiday materials going to landfill is to find ways to reduce wrapping. If every Canadian wrapped just three gifts in upcycled materials rather than wrapping paper, <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/how-to-have-a-green-christmas_ca_5cd578f1e4b07bc729786634">enough paper would be saved to cover the surface of 45,000 hockey rinks</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/tis-the-season-to-redesign-and-reduce-our-waste-88461">’Tis the season to redesign and reduce our waste</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>For starters, you might not wrap the gift at all or you could use a reusable bag or a scarf to wrap the gift. If you had wrapping remorse last year and saved the gift bags, wrapping and bows — just use them again. </p>
<p>Wrap gifts in an old map or a page from a magazine or calendar. Package the gift in a mason jar, a flower pot or a decorative box that can be reused. Cut images from old Christmas cards to use as gift tags.</p>
<h2>Get crafty</h2>
<p>Canada leads the world when in comes to <a href="https://www.canadiangeographic.ca/article/canadas-dirty-secret">per capita waste</a> and only <a href="https://rco.on.ca/canada-recycles-just-9-per-cent-of-its-plastics/">nine per cent of our plastic actually ends up being recycled</a>. Think about making crafts out of upcycled materials rather than tossing them. Making gifts can lead to meaningful keepsakes that come with a lighter ecological footprint. </p>
<p>Bake cookies, write a poem, make some candles or construct a memory book with photos to cherish. Make gifts out of recycled and repurposed materials. My daughters are making necklaces out of driftwood and sea glass, and plant holders from repurposed materials.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/5-ways-to-infuse-your-family-with-the-spirit-of-generosity-this-christmas-107955">5 ways to infuse your family with the spirit of generosity this Christmas</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Think about tailoring the gift for the individual. You can make coasters out of old records for the music enthusiast, natural bath salts for the spa-lover or gingerbread for the friend with a sweet tooth.</p>
<p>If you are short on time, or craftiness doesn’t come naturally, build a personalized coupon book with offers to babysit or walk the dog, or take a friend to lunch.</p>
<h2>Experiences, not things</h2>
<p>An often-overlooked way to decrease the ecological impact of holiday giving is to consider giving an experience instead of a tangible good. Experiences may be more sustainable than material gifts, and research shows they can <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2003-10055-017">lead to greater happiness</a>. Giving experiences over material goods can <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jcr/article/43/6/913/2632328">foster stronger relationships</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-prime-effect-means-retailers-must-innovate-during-the-holidays-and-beyond-128359">'The Prime Effect' means retailers must innovate during the holidays and beyond</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Give a gift card for a massage or a day of house cleaning. Buy tickets to a local hockey game, a concert or a community play. Sign up for a cooking, yoga or pottery class.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307199/original/file-20191216-124016-3m63la.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307199/original/file-20191216-124016-3m63la.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307199/original/file-20191216-124016-3m63la.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307199/original/file-20191216-124016-3m63la.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307199/original/file-20191216-124016-3m63la.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307199/original/file-20191216-124016-3m63la.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307199/original/file-20191216-124016-3m63la.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A pottery class, cheese tasting or even an evening out to catch-up with an old friend all make for great gifts that value the experience over material goods.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Donate to a cause that you know is meaningful to your recipient. Canadians <a href="https://www.statcan.gc.ca/eng/dai/smr08/2018/smr08_228_2018#a11">donated $8.9 billion in 2016</a>, according to Statistics Canada, with a median donation of $300. </p>
<p>You can symbolically adopt a tiger, river otter or moose from the World Wildlife Fund, get a gift card from an organization like Kiva, which crowdfunds loans to help people in developing nations start their own businesses, or name a star through the <a href="https://www.starregistry.com/">official Star Registry</a> or your local observatory.</p>
<p>Whatever you choose to do, remember that eco-friendly gifts <a href="http://www.metrovancouver.org/services/solid-waste/reduction-reuse/create-memories/">make memories without adding more bulk to the landfill</a>.</p>
<p>[ <em>Like what you’ve read? Want more?</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/ca/newsletters?utm_source=TCCA&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=likethis">Sign up for The Conversation’s daily newsletter</a>. ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/128387/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katherine White does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Consumerism reaches a frenzied peak as the holidays approach, but it’s not too late to put on the brakes.
Katherine White, Professor and Academic Director of the Dhillon Centre for Business Ethics, University of British Columbia
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/126636
2019-12-08T13:29:20Z
2019-12-08T13:29:20Z
The digital economy’s environmental footprint is threatening the planet
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304570/original/file-20191201-156103-6jwt50.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=194%2C64%2C1677%2C1179&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The world's data centres produce about the same amount of carbon dioxide as global air travel.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pexels)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Modern society has given significant attention to the promises of the digital economy over the past decade. But it has given little attention to its negative environmental footprint.</p>
<p>Our smartphones rely on <a href="https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters/past-issues/archive-2014-2015/smartphones.html">rare earth metals</a>, and <a href="https://www.tech-pundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Cloud_Begins_With_Coal.pdf">cloud computing, data centres, artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies</a> consume large amounts of electricity, often sourced from <a href="https://www.iea.org/geco/electricity/">coal-fired power plants</a>. </p>
<p>These are crucial blind spots we must address if we hope to capture the full potential of the digital economy. Without urgent system-wide actions, <a href="https://www.pgionline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/PGI-The-Digital-Economy-and-the-Green-Economy-Compatible-Agendas-final..pdf">the digital economy and green economy will be incompatible with each other</a> and could lead to more greenhouse gas emissions, accelerate climate change and pose great threats to humanity.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-make-computers-faster-and-climate-friendly-101229">How to make computers faster and climate friendly</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The digital economy lacks a universal definition, but it entails the economic activities that result from billions of everyday online connections among people, businesses, devices, data and processes, from online banking to car sharing to social media. </p>
<p>It’s often referred to as the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.29.010202.100037">knowledge economy</a>, information society or the <a href="https://future.internetsociety.org/2017/introduction-drivers-of-change-areas-of-impact/drivers-of-change/the-internet-economy/">internet economy</a>. It relies on data as its fuel and it is already benefiting society in many ways, such as with <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landig/article/PIIS2589-7500(19)30123-2/fulltext">medical diagnoses</a>. </p>
<h2>Coal is still king for the internet</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.americangeosciences.org/critical-issues/faq/what-are-rare-earth-elements-and-why-are-they-important">Rare earth elements</a> form the backbone of our modern digital technologies, from tablets and smartphones to televisions and electric cars. </p>
<p>China is the world’s largest producer of rare earth minerals, <a href="https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/our-natural-resources/minerals-mining/minerals-metals-facts/rare-earth-elements-facts/20522">accounting for close to 70 per cent of global annual production</a>. The large-scale production of rare earth elements in China has raised grave concerns about the <a href="https://e360.yale.edu/features/china-wrestles-with-the-toxic-aftermath-of-rare-earth-mining">release of heavy metals and radioactive materials into water bodies, soil and air near mine sites</a>. </p>
<p>Research on the life-cycle assessments of rare earth minerals has found <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenrg.2014.00045/full">the production of these metals is far from environmentally sustainable</a>, consuming large amounts of energy and generating radioactive emissions.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304151/original/file-20191127-112539-162irh0.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304151/original/file-20191127-112539-162irh0.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304151/original/file-20191127-112539-162irh0.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304151/original/file-20191127-112539-162irh0.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304151/original/file-20191127-112539-162irh0.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304151/original/file-20191127-112539-162irh0.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304151/original/file-20191127-112539-162irh0.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Preliminary data (p) on the global production of rare earth elements, 1988-2018.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/our-natural-resources/minerals-mining/minerals-metals-facts/rare-earth-elements-facts/20522">(Natural Resources Canada, 2019)</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It’s sometimes said that the <a href="https://www.tech-pundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Cloud_Begins_With_Coal.pdf">cloud (and the digital universe) begins with coal</a> because digital traffic requires a vast and distributed physical infrastructure that consumes electricity.</p>
<p>Coal is one of the world’s largest sources of electricity and <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/03/26/climate-change-coal-still-king-global-carbon-emissions-soar/3276401002/">a key contributor to climate change</a>. China and the United States are the top <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/01/these-are-the-worlds-biggest-coal-producers/">producers of coal</a>. </p>
<h2>Energy hogs</h2>
<p>The world’s data centres — the storehouses for enormous quantities of information — <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/global-warming-data-centres-to-consume-three-times-as-much-energy-in-next-decade-experts-warn-a6830086.html">consume about three per cent of the global electricity supply</a> (more than the entire United Kingdom), and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/sep/25/server-data-centre-emissions-air-travel-web-google-facebook-greenhouse-gas">produce two per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions</a> — roughly the same as global air travel. </p>
<p>A report by Greenpeace East Asia and the North China Electric Power University found that China’s data centres produced <a href="https://secured-static.greenpeace.org/eastasia/PageFiles/299371/Powering%20the%20Cloud%20_%20English%20Briefing.pdf">99 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2018</a>, the equivalent of about 21 million cars driven for one year. </p>
<p>Greenhouse gases aren’t the only type of pollution to be concerned about. Electronic waste (e-waste), which is a byproduct of data centre activities, accounts for two per cent of solid waste and 70 per cent of toxic waste in the United States. </p>
<p>Globally, the world produces as much as 50 million tonnes of electronic e-waste a year, worth over US$62.5 billion and more than the GDP of most countries. Only <a href="https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/press-release/un-report-time-seize-opportunity-tackle-challenge-e-waste">20 per cent of this e-waste is recycled</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304828/original/file-20191202-66982-14irpwd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304828/original/file-20191202-66982-14irpwd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304828/original/file-20191202-66982-14irpwd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304828/original/file-20191202-66982-14irpwd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304828/original/file-20191202-66982-14irpwd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304828/original/file-20191202-66982-14irpwd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304828/original/file-20191202-66982-14irpwd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A Bitcoin mining farm.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When it comes to AI, <a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/1906.02243.pdf">recent research</a> found that training a large AI model — feeding large amounts of data into the computer system and asking for predictions — can emit more than 284 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent — nearly five times the lifetime emissions of the average American car. The results of this work show that there is a growing problem with AI’s digital footprint.</p>
<p>Another area of concern is Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, which <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r43LhSUUGTQ">rely on blockchain</a>, a digital ledger with no central authority that continually records transactions among multiple computers. The amount of energy required to produce one dollar’s worth of Bitcoin is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-018-0152-7">more than twice that required to mine the same value of copper, gold or platinum</a>. A <a href="http://karlodwyer.com/publications/pdf/bitcoin_KJOD_2014.pdf">2014 study</a> found Bitcoin consumed as much energy as Ireland. </p>
<p>Blockchain technologies such as Bitcoin are energy inefficient and <a href="https://plu.mx/a/27i7NaFCNwoDgu_IpFXfLoEhqBfoHvH52iZJ_r9rRnY">unless their potential applications are developed sustainably they will pose a serious threat to the environment</a>. </p>
<h2>Thinking differently</h2>
<p>The digital economy is accelerating faster than the actions being taken in the green economy movement to counter negative environmental impacts. To move forward fast, we must first start thinking differently. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304829/original/file-20191202-67028-1he2qvu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304829/original/file-20191202-67028-1he2qvu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304829/original/file-20191202-67028-1he2qvu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304829/original/file-20191202-67028-1he2qvu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304829/original/file-20191202-67028-1he2qvu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304829/original/file-20191202-67028-1he2qvu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304829/original/file-20191202-67028-1he2qvu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Satellite image of the Bayan Obo mine in China, taken on June 30, 2006. Vegetation appears in red, grassland is light brown, rocks are black and the water surfaces are green.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(NASA Earth Observatory)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The world and its intractable challenges are not linear — everything connects to everything else. We must raise awareness about these major blind spots, embrace <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/09/systems-leadership-can-change-the-world-but-what-does-it-mean/">systems leadership</a> (leading across boundaries), boost <a href="https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy/concept">circular economy ideas</a> (decoupling economic activity from the consumption of finite resources), leverage an <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/416909.Eco_Economy">eco-economics approach</a> (an environmentally sustainable economy) and encourage policy-makers to explore the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/13103046-a-new-synthesis-of-public-administration">interrelationships</a> between government-wide, system-wide and societal results.</p>
<p>We must also consider collective problem-solving by bringing together diverse perspectives from both the Global North and the Global South. We should take an <a href="http://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/622932/">inventory of the global and local damages caused by electronic devices, platforms and data systems</a>, and frame issues about the digital economy and its environmental impact in broad societal terms. </p>
<p>Perhaps, the way to move the current discussion forward is to ask: What needs to be done to set the world on a sustainable human trajectory? </p>
<p>We must not only ask what the digital economy can do for us, but what we can collectively do for both the digital economy and the environment.</p>
<p>[<em>You’re smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation’s authors and editors.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/ca/newsletters?utm_source=TCCA&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=youresmart">You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter</a>.
]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/126636/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Raynold has received funding from Public Governance International (PGI) for this research, as well as the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada for his doctoral program. Raynold serves as a Board Director and Chair of the Advocacy Committee for Nepean, Rideau and Osgoode Community Resource Centre (NROCRC), a non-profit organization serving vulnerable populations in Ottawa, including youth, seniors, children and newcomers to Canada. </span></em></p>
The digital economy is taking off. So are the greenhouse gas emissions, electronic waste and pollution associated with it.
Raynold Wonder Alorse, PhD Candidate in International Relations (International Political Economy of Mining), Queen's University, Ontario
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/121953
2019-09-03T13:05:22Z
2019-09-03T13:05:22Z
How potential of massive e-waste dump in Ghana can be harnessed
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289832/original/file-20190828-184202-13injzf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C44%2C960%2C580&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Separated display screens (TVs) at the site.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Alison Stowell</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Agbogbloshie in Ghana is a vast urban area that houses a massive e-waste recycling dump. Situated on the banks of the Korle Lagoon alongside the Old Fadama slum, it is home to <a href="https://www.ban.org/news/2019/4/24/rotten-eggs-e-waste-from-europe-poisons-ghanas-food-chain">around 80 000 people</a>. Back in the <a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/agbogbloshie">1960s as Ghana industrialised</a>, migrants flocked to Accra and settled in Old Fadama. Then, around the year 2000, ships started to come in with e-waste.</p>
<p>Today, many work at the “digital dumping ground”, sorting through technological products like washing machines, cookers, vehicles, cell phones and computers. These products have historically been sourced from higher income countries such as the US or those in Europe. But there has been a <a href="https://rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/geoj.12077">shift in where e-waste is sourced</a>: domestically Ghana now produces its own e-waste, with imports being mainly made up of reusable electronics. </p>
<p>Agbogbloshie often receives bad press – it’s even been nicknamed “<a href="http://www.welcome-to-sodom.com/">Sodom</a>” after the Biblical city destroyed by God for its residents’ sins. Workers burn cables covered in plastic so they can get at the valuable copper contained in many digital devices faster. This contributes to air, soil and water pollution. There are also <a href="https://www.who.int/ceh/risks/ewaste/en/">health risks</a> involved – workers can inhale toxic fumes, and nearby contaminate <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/apr/24/rotten-chicken-eggs-e-waste-from-europe-poisons-ghana-food-chain-agbogbloshie-accra">food sources</a>.</p>
<p>But I saw a different side of Agbogbloshie when I visited it in 2018. As an academic who <a href="http://www.research.lancs.ac.uk/portal/en/people/alison-stowell(2878fcb4-b9d6-4201-9f2f-42e318815872).html">researches e-waste</a>, <a href="https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/pentland/research-areas/waste-and-the-circular-economy/">waste and the circular economy</a>, I was struck by the site’s thriving hierarchical ecosystem of entrepreneurial activity. Everything had its place. There were dedicated spaces for dismantling and handling different waste streams, repair and refurbishment activities and weighing scales. </p>
<p>There were also food shacks selling deep fried plantains, makeshift protective clothing (T-shirt masks), and forms of sanitation with toilets scattered around the place.</p>
<p>Agbogbloshie, and sites like it elsewhere in the developing world, provide a valuable service. They offer opportunities for job creation, profit and cleaning up environments littered with waste. These activities also give discarded goods a new lease of life, encouraging second-hand markets in electronic and electrical goods while recognising the skills associated with repair. </p>
<p>Worldwide we discard <a href="https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Climate-Change/Documents/GEM%202017/Global-E-waste%20Monitor%202017%20.pdf">44.7 million metric tonnes</a> worth of electronics and electrical equipment. These devices contain materials that have a collective higher value than <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/01/how-a-circular-approach-can-turn-e-waste-into-a-golden-opportunity/">120 countries’ Gross Domestic Product</a> – in the region of Ghanaian cedis 333 billion or €55 billion. And, for every 1000 tonnes discarded, there is an opportunity to <a href="https://www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/research/waste/strive110-re-evaluate-re-useofelectricalandelectronicequipment.html">create 15 recycling jobs and 200 repair jobs</a>. </p>
<p>Three steps could be taken to harness the potential of Agbogbloshie and sites like it. </p>
<p>First, formal recognition by investors, the government and the private sector. This would help to ensure a boost in funding; improved, safer infrastructure and healthier worker conditions. Second, there must be a focus on how to manage the flow of materials to and from e-waste sites. This is in line with the requirements outlined by the <a href="http://www.basel.int/">Basel Convention</a>, which aims to control the movement of hazardous waste to protect human health and the environment. And third, the people working at similar sites could co-create new and relearn old practices. Knowledge sharing is key.</p>
<h2>Recognition</h2>
<p>Some of the workers at Agbogbloshie told me that they didn’t tell people outside the immediate area what they did for a living. This was because their work was considered dirty. A local expert, Karim Saagbul, from <a href="http://www.wiego.org/category/regions/sub-saharan-africa/ghana">Ghana WIEGO</a> – which works to empower informal workers, particularly women – confirmed the stigma attached to this work. The organisation supports informal waste workers at Agbogbloshie. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/290073/original/file-20190829-106486-5r05pb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/290073/original/file-20190829-106486-5r05pb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/290073/original/file-20190829-106486-5r05pb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/290073/original/file-20190829-106486-5r05pb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/290073/original/file-20190829-106486-5r05pb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/290073/original/file-20190829-106486-5r05pb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/290073/original/file-20190829-106486-5r05pb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A jumble of wires in a wheelbarrow. Plastic is burned off the wires to get at the valuable copper inside.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Alison Stowell</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There have been <a href="http://citifmonline.com/2018/03/waste-pickers-association-appeals-health-post/">some calls</a> for the work at Agbogbloshie to be recognised as legitimate and important for national development. This is crucial. Waste picking and repair work allows people to make a reasonable living, though they earn <a href="https://wageindicator.org/salary/living-wage/ghana-living-wage-series-january-2018">below the country’s average</a>: monthly <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/14/2/135/htm">salaries range from $70 to $140</a> for a scrap collector to $1050 for middlemen who act as the intermediaries between the dealers and recyclers, which in turn supports the country’s economy. </p>
<p>There are also economic benefits to expanding the life span of products that might otherwise stay on the junk heaps. This appears to make sense to the <a href="http://www.ghanaiantimes.com.gh/fisrt-part-of-agbogbloshie-e-waste-project-inaugurated/">German government</a>: it has funded new e-waste facilities at Agbogbloshie in an ongoing effort to offer training in safer recycling practices; a hospital; and a football pitch for entertainment. This initiative aims to support the development of a more sustainable and inclusive e-waste management system that brings together informal and formal groups operating within this space. </p>
<p>Securing a reliable source of e-waste and second-hand electricals is a <a href="https://www.rivisteweb.it/doi/10.3240/89695">challenge</a> both for developed and developing countries. </p>
<p>If you want to operate a refurbishment or recycling business, you need a supply of materials. If organisations engaged directly with the informal sector, they could be responsible suppliers of second-hand goods and secure valuable resources for their production processes. It is lucrative business as <a href="https://www.apnews.com/f9a0d071d1d646edb2b53fd22fd8548c">Ghana imports approximately 150 000 tonnes</a> of second-hand electrical and electronic goods a year. </p>
<p>Due to the hazardous chemicals contained within e-waste products such as lead, cadmium, mercury, amongst others, the flows are governed by <a href="http://www.basel.int/Implementation/Controllingtransboundarymovements/Overview/tabid/4325/Default.aspx">voluntary agreements</a> and <a href="https://news.weeelogic.com/africa-news-ghanas-e-waste-legal-framework">legislation</a>. These policies would need to be revisited to ensuring the transportation and handling of goods was done in an appropriate manner but did not inhibit the flow. </p>
<p>Confidence in <a href="https://www.iso.org/isoiec-27001-information-security.html">data security or destruction</a> would also need to be considered, especially for data baring technologies like mobile phones, tablets and laptops; nobody wants to be at risk of identify or data theft. Engagement on this level could encourage goods for reuse to actually be goods for reuse, rather than those <a href="https://allafrica.com/stories/201709300031.html">illegally traded or dumped</a>. </p>
<h2>Knowledge transfer</h2>
<p>Finally, knowledge transfer is vital to develop inclusive, creative and safer practices. </p>
<p>Even with mature infrastructures, globally <a href="https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2015/05/un-environment-chief-warns-of-tsunami-of-e-waste-at-conference-on-chemical-treaties/">1 million people die of occupational poisoning</a> caused by chemicals in their bodies. That number is just the registered employees, the figure may be higher if the waste pickers and informal workers were to be included. So, working with established organisations, there is an opportunity to share safer practices. </p>
<p>Collaboration presents an opportunity to co-create new practices, or share and re-learn those that already exist. The youth-driven <a href="https://qamp.net/">Agbobloshie Makerspace Place Project</a> presents exciting opportunities for exactly this. It offers community makerspaces to educate, produce tools, design products and a digital platform to encourage the repair, recycling and new trades. The kiosks are put together by hand and welcome all.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/121953/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alison Stowell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Sites like Agbogbloshie provides a valuable service. They offer opportunities for job creation, profit and cleaning up environments littered with waste.
Alison Stowell, Lecturer at Lancaster University Management School, and Associate Director of the Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business Research Centre., Lancaster University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/110363
2019-02-14T19:08:44Z
2019-02-14T19:08:44Z
Electronic waste is recycled in appalling conditions in India
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258898/original/file-20190213-181604-ksgdan.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The vast majority of e-waste in India is processed by hand.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Miles Parl</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Electronic waste is recycled in appalling conditions in India</p>
<p>The world produces 50 million tonnes of electronic and electrical waste (e-waste) per year, according to a recent UN report, but <a href="https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/press-release/un-report-time-seize-opportunity-tackle-challenge-e-waste">only 20% is formally recycled</a>. Much of the rest ends up in landfill, or is recycled informally in developing nations. </p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/does-not-compute-australia-is-still-miles-behind-in-recycling-electronic-products-63381">Does not compute: Australia is still miles behind in recycling electronic products</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>India generates more than <a href="http://ewastemonitor.info/">two million tonnes of e-waste annually</a>, and also imports undisclosed amounts of e-waste from other countries from around the world – including Australia. </p>
<p>We visited India to examine these conditions ourselves, and reveal some of the devastating effects e-waste recycling has on workers’ health and the environment.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258901/original/file-20190213-181599-49tvt8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258901/original/file-20190213-181599-49tvt8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258901/original/file-20190213-181599-49tvt8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258901/original/file-20190213-181599-49tvt8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258901/original/file-20190213-181599-49tvt8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258901/original/file-20190213-181599-49tvt8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258901/original/file-20190213-181599-49tvt8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258901/original/file-20190213-181599-49tvt8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Obsolete computer electronics equipment lie stacked along the roads in Seelampur.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Alankrita Soni</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Indian e-waste</h2>
<p>More than <a href="https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/waste/can-india-manage-its-toxic-e-waste--60891">95% of India’s e-waste</a> is processed by a widely distributed network of informal workers of waste pickers. They are often referred to as “kabadiwalas” or “raddiwalas” who collect, dismantle and recycle it and operate illegally outside of any regulated or formal organisational system. Little has changed since India introduced <a href="http://cpcb.nic.in/displaypdf.php?id=UHJvamVjdHMvRS1XYXN0ZS9FLVdhc3RlTV9SdWxlc18yMDE2LnBkZg==">e-waste management legislation</a> in 2016.</p>
<p>We visited e-waste dismantlers on Delhi’s outskirts. Along the narrow and congested alleyways in Seelampur we encountered hundreds of people, including children, handling different types of electronic waste including discarded televisions, air-conditioners, computers, phones and batteries. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258902/original/file-20190213-181631-9c112q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258902/original/file-20190213-181631-9c112q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258902/original/file-20190213-181631-9c112q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258902/original/file-20190213-181631-9c112q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258902/original/file-20190213-181631-9c112q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258902/original/file-20190213-181631-9c112q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258902/original/file-20190213-181631-9c112q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258902/original/file-20190213-181631-9c112q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Open fires create toxic smoke, and locals reported high rates of respiratory problems.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Alankrita Soni</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Squatting outside shop units they were busy dismantling these products and sorting circuit boards, capacitors, metals and other components (without proper tools, gloves, face masks or suitable footwear) to be sold on to other traders for further recycling.</p>
<p>Local people said the waste comes here from all over India. “You should have come here early morning, when the trucks arrive with all the waste,” a trolley driver told us. </p>
<p>Seelampur is the <a href="https://www.downtoearth.org.in/coverage/ewaste-recycling-hub-moradabad-320">largest e-waste dismantling market in India</a>. Each day e-waste is dumped by the truckload for thousands of workers using crude methods to extract reusable components and precious metals such as copper, tin, silver, gold, titanium and palladium. The process involves acid burning and open incineration, creating toxic gases with severe health and environmental consequences.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/almost-everything-you-know-about-e-waste-is-wrong-93904">Almost everything you know about e-waste is wrong</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Workers come to Seelampur desperate for work. We learned that workers can earn between 200 and 800 rupees (A$4-16) per day. Women and children are paid the least; men who are involved with the extraction of metals and acid-leeching are paid more. </p>
<p>Income is linked to how much workers dismantle and the quality of what is extracted. They work 8-10 hours per day, without any apparent regard for their own well-being. We were told by a local government representative that respiratory problems are reportedly common among those working in these filthy smoke-filled conditions. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258911/original/file-20190213-181589-1cuiv5u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258911/original/file-20190213-181589-1cuiv5u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258911/original/file-20190213-181589-1cuiv5u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258911/original/file-20190213-181589-1cuiv5u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258911/original/file-20190213-181589-1cuiv5u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258911/original/file-20190213-181589-1cuiv5u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258911/original/file-20190213-181589-1cuiv5u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258911/original/file-20190213-181589-1cuiv5u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Residential areas adjoining Seelampur Drain.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Alankrita Soni</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Delhi has <a href="https://theconversation.com/as-another-smog-season-looms-india-must-act-soon-to-keep-delhi-from-gasping-80376">significant air and water pollution problems</a> that authorities struggle to mitigate. We were surprised to learn that the recycling community does not like to discuss “pollution”, so as not to raise concerns that could result in a police raid. When we asked about the burning of e-waste, they denied it takes place. Locals were reluctant to talk to us in any detail. They live in fear that their trade will be shut down during one of the regular police patrols in an attempt to curb Delhi’s critical air and water problems. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/as-another-smog-season-looms-india-must-act-soon-to-keep-delhi-from-gasping-80376">As another smog season looms, India must act soon to keep Delhi from gasping</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>As a result of this fear, e-waste burning and acid washing are often hidden from view in the outskirts of Delhi and the neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, or done at night when there is less risk of a police raid.</p>
<p>Incidentally, while moving around Seelampur we were shocked to see children playing in drains clogged with dumped waste. During the drier months drains can catch fire, often deliberately lit to reduce waste accumulation.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258909/original/file-20190213-181627-1dn3ak6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258909/original/file-20190213-181627-1dn3ak6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258909/original/file-20190213-181627-1dn3ak6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258909/original/file-20190213-181627-1dn3ak6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258909/original/file-20190213-181627-1dn3ak6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258909/original/file-20190213-181627-1dn3ak6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258909/original/file-20190213-181627-1dn3ak6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258909/original/file-20190213-181627-1dn3ak6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Young boys searching for valuable metal components they can sell in Seelampur.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>After our tour of Seelampur we visited Mandoli, a region near Delhi where we were told e-waste burning takes place. When we arrived and asked about e-waste recycling we were initially met with denials that such places exist. But after some persistence we were directed along narrow, rutted laneways to an industrial area flanked by fortified buildings with large locked metal doors and peephole slots not dissimilar to a prison.</p>
<p>We arranged entry to one of these units. Among the swirling clouds of thick, acrid smoke, four or so women were burning electrical cables over a coal fire to extract copper and other metals. They were reluctant to talk and very cautious with their replies, but they did tell us they were somewhat aware of the health and environmental implications of the work. </p>
<p>We could not stay more than a few minutes in these filthy conditions. As we left we asked an elderly gentleman if people here suffer from asthma or similar conditions. He claimed that deaths due to respiratory problems are common. We also learned that most of these units are illegal and operate at night to avoid detection. Pollution levels are often worse at night and affect the surrounding residential areas and even the prisoners at the nearby Mandoli Jail. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258910/original/file-20190213-181599-9to9m0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258910/original/file-20190213-181599-9to9m0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258910/original/file-20190213-181599-9to9m0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258910/original/file-20190213-181599-9to9m0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258910/original/file-20190213-181599-9to9m0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258910/original/file-20190213-181599-9to9m0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258910/original/file-20190213-181599-9to9m0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/258910/original/file-20190213-181599-9to9m0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Women extracting copper from electrical wires, in a highly polluting process.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Alankrita Soni</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We had the luxury of being able to leave after our visit. It is devastating to think of the residents, workers and their children who spend their lives living among this toxic waste and breathing poisonous air.</p>
<p>Field trips such as this help illustrate a tragic paradox of e-waste recycling in developed versus developing nations. In Australia and many other advanced industrialised economies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/does-not-compute-australia-is-still-miles-behind-in-recycling-electronic-products-63381">e-waste collection is low and little is recycled</a>. In India, e-waste collection and recycling rates are remarkably high.</p>
<p>This is all due to informal recyclers, the kabadiwalas or raddiwalas. They are resourceful enough to extract value at every stage of the recycling process, but this comes with a heavy toll to their health and the environment.</p>
<p><br></p>
<hr>
<p><em>This article was co-written by Ms. Alankrita Soni, UNSW Alumni & practising Environmental Architect from India.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/110363/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Miles Park does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
For as little as $4 a day Indian workers process dangerous, toxic waste by hand. This unregulated, highly polluting industry is hidden away from police eyes.
Miles Park, Senior Lecturer, Industrial Design, UNSW Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/102759
2018-09-21T10:42:35Z
2018-09-21T10:42:35Z
Paper-based electronics could fold, biodegrade and be the basis for the next generation of devices
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/235661/original/file-20180910-123119-wxtsn3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A foldable, biodegradable battery based on paper and bacteria opens a new opportunity in electronics.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Seokheun Choi/Binghamton University</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It seems like every few months there’s a new cellphone, laptop or tablet that is so exciting people line up around the block to get their hands on it. While the perpetual introduction of new, <a href="https://slate.com/technology/2018/09/new-iphone-rumors-how-apple-could-improve-battery-life.html">slightly more advanced electronics</a> has made businesses like Apple hugely successful, the short shelf life of these electronics is bad for the environment.</p>
<p>Modern electronics are filled with circuit boards on which <a href="http://www.appropedia.org/Metal_reclamation_and_recycling_of_electronic_waste">various metals and plastics are soldered</a> together. Some of these <a href="http://www.appropedia.org/Metal_reclamation_and_recycling_of_electronic_waste">materials are toxic</a> – or <a href="https://symbiosisonlinepublishing.com/biotechnology/biotechnology03.pdf">break down into toxic substances</a>. There are efforts underway to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aogh.2014.10.001">boost recycling of e-waste</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2015.02.010">recovering materials that can be reused</a> and properly disposing of the rest. But <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2016/6/22/11991440/eri-e-waste-electronics-recycling-nyc-gadget-trash">most devices</a> end up added to the <a href="https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/z4gv73/americas-television-graveyards">growing piles</a> of <a href="https://www.epa.gov/international-cooperation/cleaning-electronic-waste-e-waste">e-waste in landfills</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/235416/original/file-20180907-90549-50j1jk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/235416/original/file-20180907-90549-50j1jk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/235416/original/file-20180907-90549-50j1jk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/235416/original/file-20180907-90549-50j1jk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/235416/original/file-20180907-90549-50j1jk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/235416/original/file-20180907-90549-50j1jk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/235416/original/file-20180907-90549-50j1jk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/235416/original/file-20180907-90549-50j1jk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Circuit boards and other electronics can really pile up.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Electronic-Waste-Recycling/7e979f106b7748a6a607b7f645265388/30/0">AP Photo/Michael Conroy</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Instead of adding more trash to these ever-growing piles, there is an opportunity to create electronics that are biodegradable. That’s why <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=2H01tqsAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">other researchers and I</a> are looking to the emerging field of paper-based electronics – known as “<a href="http://nsf-papertronics.rutgers.edu/">papertronics</a>.” They’re flexible – even foldable – sustainable, friendly to the environment and low-cost. </p>
<p>But to be truly eco-friendly, papertronics can’t use traditional batteries, which are made of metals and caustic acids, to store and discharge electricity. Recently, my chemist colleague <a href="https://www.binghamton.edu/chemistry/people/sadik/sadik.html">Omowunmi Sadik</a> and I developed a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/adsu.201800041">paper battery that’s recyclable and biodegradable</a>, as well as reliable enough to actually use. The key is bacteria.</p>
<h2>Flexible bio-batteries</h2>
<p>I’ve developed flexible batteries, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/admt.201700127">batteries powered by saliva</a> and more. I figured that when seeking to power paper-based electronics, it made sense to try to make a battery out of paper. Fortunately, paper is a good potential battery material: It’s flexible, a good insulator – which makes it a good platform for mounting electronic components on – and absorbs and releases fluids easily. We added polymers – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/adsu.201800041">poly (amic) acid and poly(pyromellitic dianhydride-p-phenylenediamine)</a> – to improve those electrical characteristics.</p>
<p>Then, to store energy in the battery, in place of the metals and acids that react chemically to generate electrons, we added bacteria. When these batteries are eventually commercialized, they’ll use bacteria that are safe for humans and the environment and well-contained to reduce any other contamination.</p>
<p>Because the paper is rough and porous, the bacteria stick to it, and generate their own energy by breaking down almost any available organic material, including plant material or wastewater. At the moment, we’re prepackaging source material, but it could also come from the environment. This chemical reaction produces electrons. Normally in a bacterial reaction, those electrons would bond with oxygen, but we’ve built our battery to limit oxygen and substitute an electrode, meaning we can capture the electron flow and use it to power devices. </p>
<p>We were concerned that oxygen could get into the paper and interrupt the electron flow between the bacteria, decreasing the battery’s efficiency. We found that while that does happen, it has minimal effects. That’s because so many bacterial cells are so tightly attached to the paper fibers; they form a multi-layer biofilm that shields the chemical reaction from most oxygen.</p>
<p>We also wanted a battery that could biodegrade. The bacteria in the battery itself, once they’re done releasing energy, can break down the paper and polymers into harmless components. In water, our battery easily biodegraded, without any special equipment or other microorganisms to aid in the breakdown.</p>
<p>The polymer-paper structures are lightweight, low-cost and flexible. That flexibility also allows for the batteries to fold like a normal piece of paper, or be stacked on top of each other. That lets more battery power fit into smaller spaces.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/235453/original/file-20180907-90581-1tk49v5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/235453/original/file-20180907-90581-1tk49v5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/235453/original/file-20180907-90581-1tk49v5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=537&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/235453/original/file-20180907-90581-1tk49v5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=537&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/235453/original/file-20180907-90581-1tk49v5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=537&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/235453/original/file-20180907-90581-1tk49v5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=674&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/235453/original/file-20180907-90581-1tk49v5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=674&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/235453/original/file-20180907-90581-1tk49v5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=674&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A group of folded batteries can power a paper-based electronic device.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Seokheun Choi/Binghamton University</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Promises and opportunities</h2>
<p>Papertronics can be particularly useful in remote areas with limited resources because they’re powered by bacteria that can inhabit even the most extreme of conditions and break down nearly any material to produce electrons. They don’t need a well-established power grid, either. In addition, though paper batteries are designed to be disposable after they’re used, their materials are recyclable – and new batteries can be created from recycled paper.</p>
<p>As revolutionary as paper-based bio-batteries are for future electronic devices, they’re fairly straightforward to make. The polymers and bacteria can be blended with paper in traditional manufacturing processes, including roll-to-roll printing and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1039/C4RA04946B">screen printing</a> – or even be painted or poured right onto paper.</p>
<p>Other materials can also be added to the paper batteries – like metals, semiconductors, insulators and nanoparticles. These and other substances can add more properties and capabilities to paper-based devices, opening new doors for the next generation of electronics.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/102759/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Seokheun Choi receives funding from the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research. </span></em></p>
Paper-based devices with foldable, biodegradable batteries provide a new way to reduce electronic waste. But how would these new gadgets work?
Seokheun Choi, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Binghamton University, State University of New York
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.