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E-waste from trashed electric devices is piling up and recycling isn't keeping pace, UN says (apnews.com)

submitted 9 months ago by FartsWithAnAccent to c/technology

36 comments fedilink hide all child comments

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/13401615

Something that should be considered when buying your micromobility device: Try to get something that will last and not end up as trash.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Most recycling isn't currently profitable without some kind of subsidy or legislation pushing it (exceptions: some metals, paper, maybe glass). If dealing with the increasing mountains of dead electronics made money, it would be getting done on a much larger scale than individual junk-pickers in the developing world scavenging in dumps. In addition to reducing the volume of waste being created, we need to provide a market for the recycled material that pays enough to push financing of new plants to do recycling at scale (and make sure that the recycling doesn't create negative externalities of its own).

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

In addition to reducing the volume of waste being created

That will amount to a cynical coercion of the public in some way. I'm being forced to work for free in the form of sorting waste at point of disposal, and worrying about fines, all so that industry's line can continue going up. So that plastics production growth can largely continue on trend. Paper and plastic recycling are like cycling up the hill of environmental conservation in top gear. Loads of pedal revolutions that (ultimately) only slow the rate of decline back down the hill.

If the product has a high energy cost involved in new production, that's when industry actually does the right thing. Aluminum is a great example. Generous deposit schemes are found all over the world. They're voluntary and well managed. But paper and plastic are cheap to manufacture by comparison, and the costs can be passed through to the consumer, so industry and government conspire to do just that (the mechanisms of which are then greenwashed).