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6 episodes with electronic waste
7 episodes with electronic waste
4 episodes with electronic waste
3 episodes with electronic waste
2 episodes with electronic waste
2 episodes with electronic waste
2 episodes with electronic waste
2 episodes with electronic waste
2 episodes with electronic waste
Art has the power to change and even lead the conversation, to spark curiosity and fuel real engagement. But what comes first in a powerful creative project? The idea and the message? The tools and the talent? Or The Funding, that can make or break it all? My guest today is Benjamin Von Wong, who creates art on a grand scale that goes beyond awe. He is an Artist focused on amplifying positive impact. He does that both in the process of how he creates his art, through community, and in the images it produces, finding visual metaphors that stick with people, long after they've seen the work. His mission is to help make positive impact unforgettable. For the last seven years, Von Wong and his team, under the banner of “Unforgettable Labs” have generated over a billion organic views on topics like Ocean Plastics, Fast Fashion, and Electronic Waste for organizations like Dell, Greenpeace, Nike, Starbucks and Kiehl's. In this opening quote you can hear him wrangle with the dance between art and marketing, and his new mission to find ways to create sustainable funding streams that allow him to create message-shaping art in times and places where the world is gathered to solve some of our most pressing challenges. It's a move that can make his work more deeply sustainable - for himself and for his team. Von Wong's The Unforgettable Project leverages the collective power of philanthropy to help build broader campaigns around environmentally net-positive innovations worth spotlighting - instead of waiting for corporations that are seeking eyeballs and leveraging their funding for good, he's building a funding source that actively seeks the next project that needs to go viral. Some of his notable work includes the Giant Plastic Tap which used trash from the slums of Kibera, in Nairobi, Kenya, to demand that corporations #TurnOffThePlasticTap. The Giant Tap was displayed prominently when 193 different countries and 1,500 delegates came together at UNEA 5.2 in 2022 to discuss what was then termed the “Paris Agreement For Plastics” and was eventually used in the United Nations official Plastics Report while raising over $100,000 for the Human Needs Project. Recently he installed a grand sculpture at the Highline in New York City in collaboration with Kiehl's to raise awareness and drive adoption of refillable products in the beauty world. Von Wong, along with a large community of volunteers, collected and assembled 2 tons of plastic bottles into a “single-use hydra”, seen by nearly 300-thousand visitors and close to 3 million social impressions for their message of #DontRebuyJustRefill…but as he points out in this conversation, most of the people on the High Line don't have the leverage to change the system - which is why he seeks to place his epic art in places where the system changers meet. I learned about Benjamin's work through his wonderful talk at Creative Mornings (a global, IRL community of creatives that hosts monthly talks all around the world). His presentation spoke to some beautiful topics - like the importance of nurturing the conditions of success (like inner narratives and cultivating community) vs chasing success, and the notion of sifting your feelings from reality when it comes to deciding what is enough - personally, financially, and in the work - ie, is my work having enough impact? Von Wong shared the ways in which he's rewriting his inner narrative to balance his personhood and his purpose or impact. I found the talk profoundly moving and beautiful and highly recommend watching it. In this conversation, you'll find: Ruminations on Creationships - relationships that exist to co-create something wonderful together (4:09) The Importance of an Interface or a Container to foster Conversation (7:47) Benjamin's perspectives on going to where the conversations are already happening to have the deepest impacts. This is certainly true for the large scale work that he creates, but it is also true for anyone looking to change a big conversation. Making people come to you vs going to them means the activation energy of change is that much lower. (13:18) Benjamin's thoughts on Community Building and Co-creating art with a community (16:43) The polarity Benjamin is threading right now: Balancing Speeding Up (to do more work and have more impact) and Slowing Down (in order to build deeper creationships) (26:21) The difference between an Audience and a Community (32:44) The power of creating a word that summarizes and defines an idea that people flock to (which we might term the Rumpelstiltskin or Le Guin Rule (as she famously wrote in A Wizard of Earthsea “To weave the magic of a thing, you see, one must find its true name out.” (33:39) Head over to theconversationfactory.com/listen for full episode transcripts, links, show notes and more key quotes and ideas. You can also head over there and become a monthly supporter of the show for as little as $8 a month. You'll get complimentary access to exclusive workshops and resources that I only share with this circle of facilitators and leaders. Links https://www.vonwong.com/ unforgettablelabs.com https://www.thevonwong.com/ How I made plastic pollution more shareable with a Mermaid and 10000 plastic bottles - 3/3 https://creativemornings.com/ Benjamin Von Wong Featuring Possibly Poet: "Is activism sustainable?"
This week on The Core Report: Weekend Edition, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Rajesh Gupta, Managing Director of Recyclekaro, about the technical processes of extracting precious and toxic metals from electronic waste, the logistics behind e-waste collection, the importance of recycling lithium-ion batteries and much more.ABOUT RAJESH GUPTARajesh Gupta is Managing Director at Recyclekaro, where he oversees its operations, strategy, and growth. Recyclekaro has a processing facility in Mumbai with a capacity of recycling 7500 MT of e-waste and 14,000 MT of lithium ion batteries annually. They also manage the collection network, which has more than 1,200 touch points across India, serving corporate clients, schools and colleges, government institutions, and residential neighbourhoods. For more of our coverage check out thecore.in--Support the Core Report--Join and Interact anonymously on our whatsapp channelSubscribe to our NewsletterFollow us on:Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Linkedin | Youtube
In this episode, we chat with Basil Botha, co-founder, CEO, and Director of Greentech, a fast-growing recycling company for the processing and recycling of electronic waste. Basil is an experienced mining operator with over four decades of experience in mining minerals and metals and has been involved in a number of boards during his career. He tells us more about Greentech, what they are looking to achieve in recycling waste, and the timeframe in which you can start an operation like this up. KEY TAKEAWAYS Green Tech is a fast-growing recycling company focused on processing and recycling electronic waste, extracting valuable metals like gold, silver, palladium, platinum, copper, and tin. The process of recycling electronic waste is more cost-effective and time-efficient compared to traditional mining methods. Green Tech's process requires significantly less capital expenditure and time to start production. Green Tech's recycling process is clean and sustainable, with zero emissions and no discharge, in contrast to traditional methods that involve burning materials and creating environmental hazards like tailings ponds. The global e-waste market is growing, providing a consistent and increasing source of raw materials for Green Tech's operations. The company focuses on printed circuit boards due to their high metal concentration. BEST MOMENTS "It made so much more sense to recycle electronic waste as opposed to digging holes in the ground... the ramifications as opposed to mining are so much better." "The benefits of electronic waste recycling, as opposed to mining, is mining is a tough, tough business... It takes a long time, costs an inordinate amount of money." "The process, although we spent about four years perfecting the process, it's purely mechanical in the front end. And then in the back end, it's a refining process." "We didn't want to go down that route at all. We wanted a clean process. That's the difference." VALUABLE RESOURCES Mail: rob@mining-international.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/ X: https://twitter.com/MiningRobTyson YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DigDeepTheMiningPodcast Web: http://www.mining-international.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/basil-botha-91ab1027/ ABOUT THE HOST Rob Tyson is the Founder and Director of Mining International Ltd, a leading global recruitment and headhunting consultancy based in the UK specialising in all areas of mining across the globe from first-world to third-world countries from Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia. We source, headhunt, and discover new and top talent through a targeted approach and search methodology and have a proven track record in sourcing and positioning exceptional candidates into our clients' organisations in any mining discipline or level. Mining International provides a transparent, informative, and trusted consultancy service to our candidates and clients to help them develop their careers and business goals and objectives in this ever-changing marketplace. CONTACT METHOD rob@mining-international.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/ Podcast Description Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people's experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.
Dead electronics live a LONG life. They're useless - but we CAN'T just throw them away!
As technology continues to advance, old electronics have now piled up in record amounts across the planet.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Nothing says it's December like drawers of used batteries, mystery wires and mismatched electrical items strewn all over the house. We'll look at how we can cut back on our electronic waste this Christmas with Jo Linehan Editor of the Climate Supplement at the Sunday Times Ireland.
Berlin-based Open Funk is tackling throwaway culture with a blender that's as easy to fix as to replace. Read this story here.
Last week we examined the resurgence of the LP record. What prompted that episode was visiting our local record shop to see about replacing a turntable cartridge. Well, after a bit of experimentation, I discovered it wasn't my turntable at fault. The problem was with my Harman/Kardon integrated stereo amplifier. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/patrick-ball/message
Tune in to our captivating podcast as our Business Ninja, Kelsey, interviews Alex Karatkiewicz, Director of Retail and Marketing of Comprenew, a nonprofit electronics recycler that offers green e-waste solutions while protecting your data and the planet.Comprenew has a revolutionary model for technology asset management and recovery services that separates data storage devices from non-data storage devices. All data-containing devices are cleared or destroyed by highly trained staff to protect your sensitive information. Plus, they maximize value recovery by refurbishing items for resale while minimizing environmental impact.But that's not all - Comprenew is committed to empowering at-risk communities through job readiness and computer literacy programs. They believe in accepting and respecting all people while inspiring stewardship through education and restoration.And the best part? Comprenew supports other nonprofits by offering discounted computer equipment to organizations that provide assistance and training to at-risk populations. So, not only are you protecting the environment, but you're also making a positive impact on your community.Join the movement and learn more about Comprenew's mission to protect people and the planet from e-waste through their website at https://www.comprenew.org/-----Do you want to be interviewed for your business? Schedule time with us, and we'll create a podcast like this for your business: https://www.WriteForMe.io/-----https://www.facebook.com/writeforme.iohttps://www.instagram.com/writeforme.io/https://twitter.com/writeformeiohttps://www.linkedin.com/company/writeforme/https://www.pinterest.com/andysteuer/Want to be interviewed on our Business Ninjas podcast? Schedule time with us now, and we'll make it happen right away! Check out WriteForMe, more than just a Content Agency! See the Faces Behind The Voices on our YouTube Channel!
Ahead of a Community Recycling Day at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan on April 23, The Lambert Center's Jason Blitman talks to Christine Datz-Romero, co-founder and executive director of the Lower East Side Ecology Center. Christine talks about the history of the center, how e-waste works, and what it takes to compost at home.
Electronic waste (e-waste) contains a range of materials, including precious metals, which could be salvaged for reusable components and continue to offer economic value. Dr Aidan Marc Wong investigates the central role of informal labour, in particular the karung guni in Singapore and Malaysia, who collect, disassemble, sort, and transform recycling and e-waste into raw materials for reuse. Dr Wong discusses how such informal labourers can identify raw materials that contain unrealised value, and can give discarded items a new lease of economic life rather than letting them find their way to dump sites.Read more about his research: https://doi.org/10.1111/gec3.12616
How much tech is in front of you right now? A laptop, a cell phone, a tablet, perhaps a television? We can't live without our tech, but what do you do with your old laptops and such when it's time to upgrade? Only about 35% of electronic waste is collected – which means a lot of it ends up in the landfill. Could legislation change that? Representative Athena Hollins thinks so. She represents District 66 B in St. Paul and she spoke with Cathy about her plans to turn to electronic waste management around. Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here.
So much goes on behind the scenes in the electronic waste management industry. Let's take a deep dive into the sketchy side of things... --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thebluebandana/message
Can you make a difference for the planet and for your own health if you wait an extra year to update your smartphone or get a new laptop computer?You can if it means using fewer electronics products that are loaded with toxic metals, says Dr. Dele Ogunseitan, a professor of population health and disease prevention at the University of California Irvine.In this episode of One World, One Health, Dr. Ogunseitan talks about how even the best-laid plans for recycling electronic products can go awry, and what the consequences can be if TVs, smart appliances, or tablets get into landfills. “Waste should not be endangering your neighbors,” he says.
Did you know technology currently has the same emissions as the global aviation industry? That's 1-2 % of total global carbon emissions! We are also generating 57 million tons of electronic waste, or e-waste, annually—that's equivalent to the weight of the Great Wall of China. By 2025 we will have 60 billion devices around the world, and by 2030 it's expected that e-waste will be around 70 million tons. E-waste is the biggest waste stream in the world. So, why aren't we talking about it? Moreover, why aren't we solving the problem? After all, as our guest on the latest episode of The Switch Podcast says, “it's really not that hard to start”. Our guest, Niklas Sundberg, is Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions. He is also the proud leader of a passionate group of IT professionals committed to sustainable digital transformation within the company and a sustainable/green-IT advocate. A lack of literature on this topic inspired him to write his book, "Sustainable IT Playbook for Technology Leaders", to educate, engage and activate other technology leaders to start their sustainable-IT journeys. What do we need to do? What are sustainable-IT practices? What is green-IT? What are the solutions to the problems that come with digitalization and hyper-connectivity? Niklas is here to tell us, so tune in to The Switch! Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC80E_iKroCyQ_at663T7dzA Website: https://theswitch.se/#the-podcast
Shashi Rao and Matt Mlinar of the NRRI talk about the importance of responding to e-waste
On this episode of Office Hours, Spencer speaks with John Shegerian, CEO and chairman of ERI, the largest cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction and electronic waste recycling company in the United States. Shegerian is a serial entrepreneur who helped found FinancialAid.com, Addicted.com and Engage, LLC, a speaker-booking platform, among other organizations. In the early '90s, Shegerian co-founded Homeboy Tortillas and Homeboy Industries, led by Father Greg Boyle, to help improve the lives of former gang members in East Los Angeles. The organization has since evolved into the largest gang-intervention, rehab and re-entry program in the world. John is co-author of "The Insecurity of Everything" and "101 Tips from the Marketing Masters: Ways to Supercharge Your Marketing & Exponentially Grow Your Business." He also hosts "Impact with John Shegerian," a weekly podcast featuring conversations with some of the greatest business minds and thought leaders known today.
Lead and other heavy metals in water are a serious global problem that is worsening because of electronic waste and discharges from mining operations. In the U.S., over 12,000 miles of waterways are impacted by mine-drainage water that is rich in heavy metals. Lead in particular is highly toxic, especially to children. The European Union […]
with Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen
with Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen
Dead electronics live a LONG life. They're useless - but we CAN'T just throw them away!
For bonus content and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio This is an encore presentation of an interview we did in 2021 with Kerry Maeve Sheehan, US Policy Lead for iFixit [https://www.ifixit.com/] and Nathan Proctor, U.S. PIRG Senior Right to Repair Campaign Director [http://uspirg.org/repair]. If you own something, shouldn't you be able to take it to a technician of your choice or fix it yourself and be given access to the parts, tools, and service information necessary? Seems like a reasonable ask, but this isn't always the case. Large corporations, like Apple, have enacted a trillion dollar lobbying campaign against the consumers ability to repair their own devices, fueling the fastest growing waste sector in the world, Electronic Waste. On this show, we discuss the Right to Repair movement, the social and environmental implications, the opposition's efforts, and how and why we must move the needle. Kerry Maeve Sheehan is the U.S. Policy Lead at Ifixit where she advocates for Right to Repair at the state, federal, and international levels. She has also worked for Electronic Frontier Foundation and Public Knowledge, focusing on public interest issues in intellectual property law and technology policy. Nathan Proctor is a 15-year veteran on public interest advocacy campaigns, and also is the associate director of US PIRG New Economy Program, seeking to craft an economy that works for people and the planet. He is a member of the 2020 Grist 50 Fixers, emerging leaders championing a sustainable future. Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host/Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 112 Image: iFixit
Hey friend! If you are in the midst of decluttering and wondering where to recycle your electornics, this episode is for you! Hope this serves you! Xo, Amber Here's the link to my Mentorship Program: https://declutteryourchaos.mykajabi.com/mentorship-program
Declutter Your Chaos - Minimalism, Decluttering, Home Organization
Hey friend! If you are in the midst of decluttering and wondering where to recycle your electornics, this episode is for you! Hope this serves you! Xo, Amber Here's the link to my Mentorship Program: https://declutteryourchaos.mykajabi.com/mentorship-program
John Shegerian doesn't believe in a "new normal." He'd much rather build a "new better," one electronic device at a time. And as co-founder and CEO of the largest fully integrated IT and electronics asset disposition provider and cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction company in the United States, he knows a thing or two about the future of the circular economy, not to mention how to make a real impact in business. Don't miss this chance to hear from a true leader and visionary as he sits down with Scott to share his founder's journey through multiple successful ventures, why circular economy has a role to play in cybersecurity, advice for future leaders and much more. As a thank-you gift for listening to this episode, we are happy to offer you a FREE copy of John Shegerian's book, The Insecurity of Everything: How Hardware Data Security is Becoming the Most Important Topic in the World. Please follow this link and fill out the details of where you would like the book sent: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__eridirect.com_insecurity-2Dof-2Deverything-2Dbook_&d=DwMFaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=TlEBpeIcgmR3mnm5OhztGgwqOjy9B88fmmKhiTfZ0XU&m=lSuydlRXfGv2XVjSoTuEjAEIJa0hqC5zxWIc0184jVM&s=9NvlQkmYucTEBUN4Xw5LjUuNYZRlaKI4NTe8yNj47Vk&e= (https://eridirect.com/insecurity-of-everything-book/) Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Supply Chain Now:https://supplychainnow.com/program/supply-chain-now ( https://supplychainnow.com/program/supply-chain-now) Subscribe to Supply Chain Now and all other Supply Chain Now programs:https://supplychainnow.com/subscribe ( https://supplychainnow.com/subscribe) Check out the 2022 Supply Chain and Procurement Awards: https://supplychainprocurementawards.com/ (https://supplychainprocurementawards.com/) Download the U.S. Bank 2021 Q4 Freight Payment Index: https://bit.ly/3pwmWKC (https://bit.ly/3pwmWKC) Turvo's Logistics Success Playbook: https://info.turvo.com/logistics-success-playbook (https://info.turvo.com/logistics-success-playbook) The Tecsys “Warehouse Automation Education Series”: https://infohub.tecsys.com/warehouse-automation-series (https://infohub.tecsys.com/warehouse-automation-series) Meet with 6 River Systems at Modex: https://bit.ly/3tkmcsa (https://bit.ly/3tkmcsa) Join 6 River Systems' interactive site tour at Verte on March 30th: https://bit.ly/3vl0d7k (https://bit.ly/3vl0d7k) This episode was hosted by Scott Luton. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/deal-with-electronic-waste-change-world-843
State of Waste is an investigative audio series about landfills in Nebraska. In this bonus episode, we are speaking with Emma Krab and Olivia Taylor about e-waste. We will dive deeper into what e-waste is and why e-waste can cause problems in landfills.Guests:Emma KrabOlivia TaylorReporting:Shawn HellwegeMusic: Divider by Chris Zabriskie http://chriszabriskie.comCreative Commons — Attribution 4.0 International — CC BY 4.0Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_dividerMusic promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/VCnmFBjTlX0
Electronic waste, also known as e-waste, is categorized as household hazardous waste, which means when these wastes are being thrown at the wrong places, it can cause a problem. E-wastes, such as phones and tablets, have lithium batteries in them and lithium is one of the major concerns at landfills because with it being toxic, it has a potential of causing fire when it is leached into the waste mass. Therefore, it is important for us to know how to properly recycle our e-waste to help prevent such hazards at landfills.Sources: Jessica Bodfield, Jeffery Edwards, Chad Gorgen, Christa Latch, Jake Schmitt, Erik Waiss, Karla Weldon Reporting team: Emma Krab, Shreyoshi Ghosh, Olivia Taylor, Iman Farid This series was reported and produced by students at the College of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in collaboration with Nebraska Public Media. Students worked with faculty advisors Jessica Fargen Walsh and Kaci Richter with support from Nebraska Public Media reporter Bill Kelly.Music: Divider by Chris Zabriskie http://chriszabriskie.comCreative Commons — Attribution 4.0 International — CC BY 4.0Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_dividerMusic promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/VCnmFBjTlX0Clean Soul by Kevin MacLeodCreative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...Music provided by FreeMusic109 https://youtube.com/FreeMusic109
We spoke with Maurice Jones, General Manager of PAR-Recycle Works, which recycles e-waste (electronic waste) while employing and training individuals reentering society after prison. He talked about the environmental need for e-waste recycling, its methods, and combining the social justice issues of rehabilitation of ex-prisoners with this work. Planet Philadelphia, is a radio show about our shared environment 4-5:00 PM ET the first and third Fridays each month on 92.9 FM WGGT-LP & http://gtownradio.com. For more information go to: www.planetphiladelphia.com| @planetphila --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/kay-wood9/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kay-wood9/support
It's widely known that the world has a plastics problem. From landfills to the ocean, the stuff is everywhere, and our conscientious efforts to recycle don't do nearly as much good as we think. What's less widely known is that we have a similar problem with another kind of waste: electronics. A report published this week on WEEE Forum revealed that the total waste electronic and electrical equipment from 2021 will weigh an estimated 57.4 million tons. That's heavier than China's Great Wall, which is the heaviest man-made object on Earth. Not surprisingly, the amount of e-waste generated each year is steadily increasing. For one, as the global middle class grows, more people can afford to buy electronics (and to buy new ones when their old ones break, rather than getting the old ones repaired). Also, the prices of many electronic items tend to trend downwards as their manufacture is scaled up, their technology improves, supply chains are streamlined, etc. (given the global chip shortage, the next couple years may be an exception to this trend). E-waste appears to be growing by three to four percent per year. In 2019 the total reached 53.6 million tons; that was 21 percent higher than 2014's total. If we stay on this trajectory, annual global e-waste will reach 74 tons by 2030. Product manufacturers aren't helping the situation; building products with shorter life cycles, making repairs too expensive or difficult to undertake, and continually releasing new iterations means people are likely to either cast aside their perfectly-good iPhones/tablets/laptops for newer models, or decide that repairing a non-working device isn't worth the trouble and opt for buying a brand-new one. Do you have at least one working (or partially-working) cell phone or laptop sitting in a drawer somewhere, untouched for months or years? Yeah, me too. “When you buy an expensive product, whether it's a half-a-million-dollar tractor or a thousand-dollar phone, you are in a very real sense under the power of the manufacturer,” said Tim Wu, special assistant to the president for technology and competition policy within the National Economic Council. “And when they have repair specifications that are unreasonable, there's not a lot you can do.” The Right to Repair movement thinks otherwise—or, is trying to get consumers and manufacturers to think otherwise. The movement is trying to make it easier for people to repair the devices they already own rather than having to buy new ones. Europe is several steps ahead of the US in this arena. In March of this year the EU implemented a law requiring appliances to be repairable for at least 10 years; new devices have to come with repair manuals and be compatible with conventional tools when their life cycle ends (so that people are more likely to break them down and recycle them). In Sweden, people even get tax breaks for appliance repairs done by technicians in their homes. Though there are no similar laws in place in the US yet, the Federal Trade Commission has been investigating repair restrictions as they relate to antitrust laws and consumer protection. Unsurprisingly, electronics manufacturers are largely against right to repair, claiming consumer safety could be jeopardized. But an FTC report from May of this year found there was limited evidence to support manufacturers' justifications for restricting repairs, and that peoples' device batteries aren't actually that likely to burst into flames, nor their personal data likely to be compromised by repairing their devices. According to the WEEE Forum report, around 416,000 phones per day are thrown out in the US. That's 151 million a year, and guess where they end up? Here's a hint: 40 percent of heavy metals in landfills come from discarded electronics. Those metals could be recycled for use in new products, but there's no system nor incentive in place to facilitate this. While small electronics like phones and laptops may have the fastest turnover, they're n...
If you own something, shouldn't you be able to take it to a technician of your choice or fix it yourself and be given access to the parts, tools, and service information necessary? Seems like a reasonable ask, but this isn't always the case. Large corporations, like Apple, have enacted a trillion dollar lobbying campaign against the consumers ability to repair their own devices, fueling the fastest growing waste sector in the world, Electronic Waste. Today we discuss the Right to Repair movement, the social and environmental implications, the opposition's efforts, and how and why we must move the needle. Kerry Maeve Sheehan is the U.S. Policy Lead at iFixit [https://www.ifixit.com/] where she advocates for Right to Repair at the state, federal, and international levels. She has also worked for Electronic Frontier Foundation and Public Knowledge, focusing on public interest issues in intellectual property law and technology policy. Nathan Proctor is a 15-year veteran on public interest advocacy campaigns, and also is the associate director of U.S PIRG [http://uspirg.org/repair] New Economy Program, seeking to craft an economy that works for people and the planet. He is a member of the 2020 Grist 50 Fixers, emerging leaders championing a sustainable future. Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://socal350.org/contribute-to-socal-350-climate-action/ Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host/Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 112 Image: iFixit
Sunnking is an electronic waste recovery service in New York that recycles over 25 million pounds every year. Adam Shine is the Vice President of Sunnking, one of the biggest electronic waste recyclers in the country. Adam tells us how electronic recycling works, why it's so important, and what it takes to keep electronics out of landfill.
This is an episode from our ESG Podcast series. In this one, we explore how businesses can benefit from supporting the circular economy and improving their management of electronic waste. The episode is hosted by Dr Veronica di Bella from our ESG team, who speaks with two representatives of off-grid solar company, M-kopa: Daniel Stoker, Head of Retail, and Sophie Mbugua, Retail Projects and Diagnostics Senior Lead. The panel discuss a project CDC and M-kopa have worked on, aimed at improving the management of electronic waste, and reflect on how it can help the business, and what they're learning from it. More on this topic: Report from CDC and M-kopa: How are off-grid solar customers in Kenya managing their electronic waste? Read it here ESG Toolkit for Fund Managers - find it here For all the latest news from CDC, go to our website, or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
In this episode, five insights into the future of great interest:(1). Body Electricity. A group of U.S. scientists makes a small device that can turn body heat into electricity.(2). Controllers of the future. Sony files a patent to use everyday objects as Playstation controllers. In the future we will play with a banana.(3). Virtuous recycling. Two stories that come from England and Spain and teach us how to recover useless things, which are in front of our eyes, and can become incredibly valuable.(4). Electronic waste. Or how the European Union plans to tackle the problem of 51,000 tons of smartphone battery chargers thrown away every year. (5). The Repairability Index. The French initiative to help consumers choose technology based on its ability to be repaired and last.
What happens to old devices, with mass adoption of 5G expected to create a lot of junk? The BBC's Rob Young has been finding out where our gadgets go when we are done with them. We get the perspectives of John Shegerian, co-founder of waste recycling company ERI in California, Ife Okafor-Yarwood who is a lecturer in sustainable development at St Andrews University, and Agudor Kwaku Agabas in Ghana, whose company AppCyclers turns e-waste into new products such as an egg incubator for farmers. Also in the programme, we have a report from New York where Wall Street is gripped by the story of an army of small investors, who have sent shares in a company called GameStop soaring, in what is known as a short squeeze. Plus we hear from Ivan Menezes, chief executive of alcoholic drinks maker Diageo, why sales for the company have increased during the course of the pandemic.
Surprise! Nature N8 embarks on yet another field trip—this time to a waste recycling facility. Specifically, an electronic waste facility. If you’re reading this, you’re creating e-waste right now! What are you gonna do with it?!Corporate eWaste Solutions is a company that disassembles, recycles, and reuses e-waste for other businesses. N8 goes to their facility in Brea to talk with John (Environmental Health & Safety specialist) and Raymond (Business development marketing) about how you should get rid of your old TV, how the poison in your laptop is cleaned before it pollutes our world, and how companies can turn e-waste into e-treasure. Support “Waste Not Why Not” on Patreon. Follow us on Twitter @wastenotpod. Send questions to ask@wastenotwhynot.com. Subscribe to “Waste Not a Newsletter" on Substack.EPISODE CREDIT | Nate Maynard (@N8May), host | Yu-Chen Lai (@aGuavaEmoji), producer | Emily Y. Wu (@emilyywu), executive producer | a Ghost Island Media production (@ghostislandme) | www.ghostisland.media
COVID-19 Vaccine & Race; Melting Moulins; Wild Horse Fertility; Helpful Resolutions; Artificial Skin; Electronic Waste
A new study published in the Journal of Industrial Ecology has found that the total mass of electronic waste generated by Americans has been declining since 2015. Given that electronic devices are playing an ever-growing role in our lives, this finding seems rather surprising. It also seems like pretty good news, but the underlying facts […]
In 2010, Wisconsin established legislation that banned electronics waste from the landfills. Over those ten years, Wisconsinites have recycled more than 325 million pounds of TVs, laptops, cellphones and more. As one of only 25 states with some sort of an electronics recycling law, Wisconsin is widely considered to have one of the most successful programs in the country. But it isn't without its challenges. On this episode, we speak with Sarah Murray, Wisconsin DNR's E-cycle Coordinator, and Sen. Mark Miller of Monona, the legislation's author and advocate, to learn more about what E-cycling is, how the last ten years have gone, and how Wisconsinites can help it be even more successful going forward. Find a location to recycle your old electronics: https://wisconsindnr.shinyapps.io/EcycleCollectorSite/ Read more about E-cycling in Wisconsin in the Fall 2020 issue of Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/wnrmag/2020/Fall--------------------------------------TRANSCRIPTANNOUNCER:[00:00:00] Welcome to Wisconsin DNR's Wild Wisconsin: Off The Record Podcast – information straight from the source.Katie Grant: [00:00:12] Welcome back to another episode of Wild Wisconsin: Off The Record. I'm your host, DNR's digital communication section chief Katie Grant. 2020 has been a year for a lot of anniversaries in the world of natural resources. Earth Day celebrated its 50th year along with the EPA, and the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts.It was also the 30th anniversary of Wisconsin's recycling laws and the 10th anniversary of our electronics waste legislation. For today's episode, we sat down with a couple of people who have been involved with electronics recycling in our state from the beginning, but first – a pop quiz. You just bought a new TV. What do you do with the old one? A) leave it on the wall to use as a place to tape your kids, artwork, B) take it to an electronics recycling collection site, or C) put it in your curbside recycling bin and hope for the best. So what do you think? "A" might be a great way to reuse the TV, but do you really want two TVs on the wall?We'd answer "B," taking it to an electronics recycling collection site. In this episode, you'll learn more about why recycling these items makes a lot of sense for Wisconsin's natural resources. To get us started, we sat down with the DNR's E-cycle Wisconsin coordinator Sarah Murray to learn a bit more about what the law includes and why it's so important we recycle these items. Sarah take it away. Sarah Murray: [00:01:43] Sure. Well, I am the E-cycle Wisconsin coordinator for the DNR, and I've been in that role since the program started in 2010. Katie Grant: [00:01:54] Yeah. What does it mean to be the E-cycling coordinator? What is a little taste of what is it that you do day to day?Sarah Murray: [00:02:00] So there's a few different things the DNR does for the E-cycle Wisconsin program. One is we work with all the different groups that need to participate in the program, so collectors and recyclers and manufacturers need to register with us and report to us. So there's administration of that. During those reporting periods during the year, and then looking at the data, analyzing it, making sure everything is correct, making sure, for example, that we have all the electronics collection plate information correct so we keep that updated on our website for the public, doing other outreach to let people know about the program and about why it's important to recycle electronics. And then working with my coworkers on the team – we're actually doing physical inspections of a lot of the collection sites and recyclers and answering questions that folks have about the program. So those are some of the highlights. Katie Grant: [00:03:01] Fantastic. So before we get too far into it, can you tell me a little bit about what actually is E-cycling and what kind of items fall into that category?Sarah Murray: [00:03:13] Sure. E-cycling is just sort of the acute term we came up with for recycling electronics. And so, as people can imagine, there's a whole lot of things that are electronics right now. You know, almost everything it seems like is starting to have a little circuit board in it and other electronic components.But when we talk about E-cycle Wisconsin, it was a program set up by Wisconsin's electronics recycling law to specifically collect and recycle a specific list of electronics for households and schools. So we're thinking consumer electronics: a TV, TV accessories, like a DVD player, or even a VCR, computers, including things like tablets, laptops, monitors, computer accessories and desktop printers. So those are some of the things that we're collecting through the E-cycle Wisconsin program and focused on specifically. Katie Grant: [00:04:06] Why is it so important that we actually recycle these items rather than just tossing them into the garbage can or even throwing them in the curbside recycling bin?Sarah Murray: [00:04:16] Yeah, there's a couple things there. So in general, it's important to recycle electronics for two primary reasons. One is some of them, especially older electronics, do contain hazardous materials. So the old tube style TVs have up to several pounds of lead embedded in the glass. A lot of the first-generation flat panel TVs and monitors had fluorescent tubes and then continuing mercury. There's other heavy metals, chemical flame retardants and things in electronics.So we don't really want those just out in the environment or being recycled improperly where it's causing potential harm to workers. We want to make sure they're handled safely. And then the other side of that is nearly everything in electronics can be recycled. So we want to conserve those resources for the program. In the last 10 years for example we've managed to collect and recycle the equivalent of about 47 million pounds of steel, 16 million pounds of copper, 8 million pounds of aluminum, not to mention glass and plastic, and that can all be reused and made into new products.You asked too about why we can't just put it in our curbside bins. So if you think about a lot of our electronics, like take a laptop – it's just a lot more complicated than a can, or a bottle or a cardboard box. There's a lot of different pieces to it, so it can't be handled in the same facility with the same equipment.A lot of electronics need some degree of hand disassembly, even though they do also use shredders and other high-tech machines. When we're talking newer electronics with lithium-ion batteries too, we don't want those mixing with other trash or recycling because if the batteries get damaged, like say, if they get crushed by equipment, they can actually spark and cause a fire. And so they need to be handled at a facility that knows to look for those and can carefully remove them. Katie Grant: [00:06:07] That's a really good point. You know, we've shared before on Facebook, the pictures of dumpsters on fire, for example, because batteries were in there or they got crushed and they did start on fire. And I think that's something that a lot of people don't realize can actually happen with that. Sarah Murray: [00:06:26] Yeah. Batteries themselves, that's a whole topic in and of themselves there. It's great that they've been able to make them so small and light and powerful, but that also means that a lot of stuff we maybe don't even realize has a lithium battery in it in our homes could potentially be a hazard. It's not going to be a hazard in general if it's just sitting there, but if it is getting damaged, which certainly can happen if it's been sort of picked up when your garbage or your curbside recycling then, and it can cause a problem. And there's definitely been a lot of cases of that around the country. Katie Grant: [00:06:56] Thanks Sarah for that quick look at what E-cycling is. We'll be back in a bit to learn more about how E-cycling actually works. For now we want to jump over to a conversation we had with Senator Mark Miller of Monona. Senator Miller introduced Wisconsin's E-cycling law to address the mounting problem of electronics waste in our state.Senator, you are a fierce advocate for the environment and have supported renewable energy, clean water and conservation issues. Why are those issues so important?Sen. Mark Miller: [00:07:28] Well, I think the natural environment is something that is a wonderful, God-given privilege that we have living on this earth and that in order to be able to support both the human and the biological diversity on this planet, we need to do our part to preserve it and to keep it for not only ourselves, but future generations.And I've always been impressed by the Native American concept of thinking ahead seven generations. I think that's something that is sorely needed in a lot of our public life and a lot of our economic life as well. Growing up as a kid, my father took our family on many wilderness trips to the boundary waters and to the Missouri Ozarks, the Arkansas Ozarks and a number of other places.And so I had a natural affinity for being in the outdoors. But he also was a huge fan of Aldo Leopold, who was a professor here at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and who wrote a book that's been translated into multiple languages around the world called the Sand County Almanac, and that was my father loved to read.And he would read chapters from the Sand County Almanac to us like most kids would get read bedtime stories. And so I grew up very much appreciating the importance of the land ethic that Leopold preached. So this was a very important part of the reason I ran for the legislature – to advance Wisconsin's already leadership role and protecting the natural resources. And not only was there Aldo Leopold, we also have Gaylord Nelson, John Muir, which goes back to John Muir when he, when Wisconsin was early on in its existence. So we have a tremendous legacy, but we also have tremendous resources here from the Apostle Islands, to Devil's Lake, to the forests of the North and to the parks and recreational areas we have in our urban areas.So, I think these are good for our public health, both physically, as well as emotionally to be able to have access to those resources, and to protect the quality of the water, because water is the lifeblood of our existence, really. And so we have our self-preservation in mind, but also responsibility for future generations.And so that's why this was such an important issue during my legislative career. Katie Grant: [00:10:02] Absolutely. Since 2010, you know, more than 325 million pounds of electronics have been recycled across the state. How did you originally get involved in making that happen?Sen. Mark Miller: [00:10:15] The issue of electronic waste was brought to my attention by an advocacy group back when I was still in the Assembly. They had some model legislation, which I modified to suit Wisconsin and introduced it. However, I'm also a participant in a national organization called the national environmental legislators caucus (NCEL) National Caucus of Environmental Legislators. And it was at one of those meetings where I learned about a similar program in Minnesota that was a producer responsibility, where the producers decided how they were going to do things and required very little administrative cost from the state government. And I thought, businesses like being able to do the things themselves, they just need to be told what they have to do.And so I liked that program. It had been in place for a little over a year in Minnesota, and so I adopted it to Wisconsin. I talked to the people in Minnesota, said if you had to do this all over again, what would you like to do better? Or what would you do differently? And we adopted a lot of those recommendations, and there was at that time some recognition, bipartisan recognition, that there was a producer's responsibility to take some care for the products they put into the environment. So we were able to get it passed. And we have been very pleased in that over the years, part of the legislation requires periodic meetings with stakeholder groups that Wisconsin's program has been a one of the ones widely recognized as one of the more effectively administered, efficiently administered in which the producers as well as the stakeholders, not just the stakeholders, but taxpayers like, because it's done entirely without any taxpayer money whatsoever. It's entirely supported by the producers.Katie Grant: [00:12:14] Well, you said it yourself, Wisconsin's program has become a model across the country. In a lot of other States, it's regarded as one of the best ones in the country, in the decades since that was enacted, what do you see as the biggest success of the law and what will the legacy be?Sen. Mark Miller: [00:12:33] I think that the amount of electronic waste that is collected per capita in Wisconsin is one of the things that distinguishes it from other programs and is part of the reason why it's considered highly successful, but also it's considered highly successful, as I mentioned earlier, because it is very easy for manufacturers to know what their obligation is and to do it.But in fact, what has happened is more people are contributing and putting their electronic waste into the recycling program. The manufacturers are actually required to recycle. The people that actually do the recycling, recycling industries, are having a hard time doing that at a profit, doing the recycling at a profit.So one of the things that I think as this expands, partner's responsibility to expand, is to make sure that there's a balance between how much manufacturers acquire to recycle and how much is generated by public in terms of wanting to get their materials back in another recycling program. Katie Grant: [00:13:32] In short, why do you feel that people should recycle their electronics? Sen. Mark Miller: [00:13:38] I served on the Dane County board before being elected to legislature and landfills filling up was a big concern, a big issue. So anything that we can do to reduce utilization of landfills is important because we cannot just keep finding places to put materials into and particularly materials that are valuable in themselves, or that are highly toxic. And many of the materials in a computer or an electronic device are heavy metals that have severe toxic effects that we should not be releasing into the environment. They are also expensive. It would be much smarter for us to reuse those materials in manufacturing than to go out and mine them out of the ground.There's only a limited amount we can mine out of the ground. So it's just smart to reuse it. In addition to which, Europe and Japan have much more aggressive recycling programs than we have here in the states, and I think it's important for United States to not be a laggard, but to be a leader in the issue of smart use of the resources that the planet offers. Katie Grant: [00:14:47] Only 25 other states across the country have some form of electronic waste laws, including Wisconsin obviously. What is your advice for those states who aren't currently doing E-cycling in some way, shape or form? Sen. Mark Miller: [00:15:02] Well, I think they need to. I think there needs to be a recognition that the people that they're elected to serve are better served if we make smart use of the resources and the materials, and that instead of putting them in the landfills, we can reuse again and make our profitable economy reusing materials.Instead of putting them into the landfill, I would hope that people would look at the long-term interest of the people and the land that they are elected to represent and take that into account and not be bullied by special interests that would just as soon not have any limitations put on how they operate their business. Businesses need to operate for the benefit of the entire economy, not just for the owners of the business.And unless they can operate to the benefit of the entire economy, including taking responsibility for the products that they manufacture at the end of life, we don't need those, those businesses are not needed. And I would hope that there would be a sense of social responsibility on the part of more manufacturers to assume that, and there are a number of manufacturers that are doing that.The carpet industry is looking for the paint industry. And hopefully I think that mattress recycling will be a much bigger thing. And as we come,we, we'll have limited landfills in which we can dump this stuff and this material can be used effectively and efficiently many times over.Katie Grant: [00:16:37] You were elected to the Assembly in 1998 and the Senate in 2004. You're retiring this year. Looking back on your career, how would you like to be remembered? Sen. Mark Miller: [00:16:50] Well, I came from a family legacy of public service. My mother was a state representative, one that's well-known in Wisconsin for her integrity.And so I tried as much to follow her example of personal integrity and serving the people – that I represent the entire state with the best available knowledge that I had to make those decisions for the future of our state and the people that live in it. In retrospect, there are some decisions I wish I'd made differently, but I think in balance is that that focus – what is best for the people of the state of Wisconsin – is the thing that I'd like to be recognized for.As well as the fact that I was an early and ferocious champion for protecting the environment. I mean, I authored the legislation that has our current renewable portfolio standard. And at the time back in the early '00s when I introduced it, it was considered wildly aggressive at 15% renewable portfolio standard.That's how much of the electrical energy will be done, which has to be generated by renewables. But it was scaled back to 10%, which is where it still stands. Whereas other states have gone on to much higher requirements. 50%. Hawaii even has 100%. And I think in terms of climate changes, that's something that we have missed the ball on.And I feel badly that Wisconsin was not able to take a leadership role in that because this comes close to being an existential challenge for us in terms of maintaining the climate at a stage that the kinds of life that we've come accustomed to, that we've evolved to become accustomed to, will continue for future generations.The Great Lakes Compact is something that I was very proud for the role that I played in it. This was even amongst the eight Great Lake States to work cooperatively to preserve the quantity and the quality of the waters and the great waters of the great lakes, and that has worked reasonably well.I think it happened at a sort of auspicious time that it was done in a bipartisan way with both Republican and Democratic governors and that in addition to the electronic recycling or things that I feel were accomplishments of my legislative career. Katie Grant: [00:19:23] Well, Senator Miller, we certainly thank you for everything you have done to advocate for Wisconsin's natural resources over the years. Now, we've gotten a taste of what E-cycling is, how the legislation came to be and potential roadblocks for the future. So how does that all work? Let's go back to that conversation with Sarah Murray to learn a bit more. So let's take a walk through the life cycle of a recycled electronic item. I know for example, I have an old laptop sitting in my basement right now. If I wanted to recycle it tomorrow, how do I make that happen?Sarah Murray: [00:19:58] So the first thing you'd want to just think about, especially with a computer, is your data. So have you gotten off any data that you need? And I know sometimes that's kind of a hang up for folks. I know I have an old laptop where I keep thinking I got to make sure I have all those photos off and so forth.So that's step number one. And then you want to make sure that either you're taking steps to keep your data secure, or that you know you're taking it to a place that's going to keep your data secure. So you can do a little research depending on your tech comfort level about programs you can get to help erase data.A lot of things like smartphones have some factory reset settings, but you can also just make sure you're taking it to a place where they're going to be careful with the device and make sure that it's going to a recycler that's either going to wipe off that data or it's going to physically destroy the memory on it.So that's the back piece, but if you're ready to do that, we do keep a list on the DNR website of collection sites and mail back programs. So you could take a look and see what's in your area. For something smaller, like a laptop, your manufacturer may offer a free mail back program where you can print out a label.So that's certainly one option, especially if you're not seeing collection sites near you, but otherwise you can take a look, find a place that you can drop it off, check and see if there's any fees. And obviously, especially right now, if there's any COVID restrictions or special protocols you need to follow, then you can take it in and hand it off to them.Katie Grant: [00:21:28] Okay. So you mentioned checking to see if there were any fees. I know that's something we hear a lot about, especially on our social media. Why does it cost anything at all? And how are those costs determined?Sarah Murray: [00:21:42] Yeah, that's a good question. So when the electronics recycling law was passed, a big part of the intent was to make it easier for households to recycle electronics.And in order to do that, it requires manufacturers of TVs, computers, monitors and printers to register with the DNR each year and to help pay for recycling costs. So electronics manufacturers are helping to fund some portion of the electronics recycling system. The tricky part is the way the program was set up – its market-based principles.So it didn't set a certain amount that manufacturers have to pay it just that they have to recycle a certain number of pounds each year, and then they sort of negotiate those costs with recyclers. And what we've seen over time is some of the recycling costs have gotten higher because it's harder to recycle some of the hazardous materials, and some of the materials, like the plastics, don't have as much value on the commodity markets, but the manufacturer payments haven't necessarily kept up.So unfortunately, something that we've seen over the years is more costs, especially for things like those old TVs getting passed from recyclers down to collectors and then consumers, because the manufacturer payments aren't covering the full cost. It's something that we're hoping could potentially be changed in the future.The DNR does a report every year making recommendations to the legislature to consider. We've definitely looked at ways to maybe figure out how we can adjust sort of the economics of the program so that people won't have to pay as much. I will say that, especially for something like a laptop, it's likely you could find something that's free.It's really the TVs that are the trickiest part and that's not universal every place in the state. But especially IT equipment. There's a lot of places like Goodwill locations in a lot of parts of the state, some other retailers. Like I said, mail back programs are usually our free options for IT equipment. Katie Grant: [00:23:37] The question we hear a lot about on social media is why don't we just include the cost of recycling in the cost of the item initially, kind of like a core charge type thing. Is that something that's feasible in Wisconsin and what hurdles might come with such a program? Sarah Murray: [00:23:51] Yeah. I know people bring that up a lot.A lot of our stakeholders have talked about that and it seems very simple on its face that you pay a small fee up front when you're already paying money for a device. I think the tricky thing, not to get too into the weeds of policy here, is that that money has to go somewhere and then somebody has to manage it.California actually has a system like that, where you pay an upfront fee and certain types of electronics and the state manages it, but it's sort of a big bureaucracy to manage it because it's a lot of money. I mean, they're a bigger state obviously, but you need to have a lot of dedicated people managing that fund and just politically, no other state has wanted to do that.There are discussions of maybe doing that and having to be managed by the manufacturers, but with electronics, it can get a little tricky because manufacturers of different types of electronics maybe have different interests, and then figuring out how you then get those payments back down to the recyclers and collectors.It's not as easy as you would hope to sort of set that up and make that work for everybody. Katie Grant: [00:24:57] Okay. Well, so let's say that I've dropped off my laptop or my TV or whatever sort of device. It may be. What happens to it from there? Once it's at the recycling facility. Sarah Murray: [00:25:08] Yeah. So let's say you drop that off at your local municipality's collection site. They're probably gonna sort it, if they don't have you actually put it into a different vein, they'll sort and package it and get it ready to ship to the recycler so that those batteries won't get damaged and glass won't get broken, that sort of thing. And then it'll go to a recycling facility that's registered under the E-cycle Wisconsin program.Currently about 80% by weight of what's collected under the program goes to a Wisconsin facility for this main thing. And we have a couple of very large high-tech electronics recyclers, as well as some smaller ones that do a great responsible job of pulling the device apart. Otherwise it probably goes to one somewhere in the upper Midwest.And so the recycler will check that in. It may go to a different part of the facility, depending on whether it's a container of laptops or TVs, or sort of miscellaneous keyboards and mice and that sort of thing. And then it'll go into whatever handling it needs. So if it's devices with those batteries, they'll need to do a little bit of hand disassembly to pull those out.Or if it's the old tube TVs, they need to take that glass picture tube out and the plastic will get recycled separately. It'll break up the glass and send that out for shipping. A lot of the larger recyclers now have big shredding equipment. So once they've removed any sort of hazardous components, they can send a lot of the rest of the shell of a laptop or a keyboard or things like that through a shredder that shreds it up and then it uses a bunch of different sorters.So they'll be magnets to pull out steel and any currents to separate the aluminum and optical sorters for the plastic. And the goal is to get out as pure a stream as possible of different commodities, which can then be shipped. You know, if they're pulling steel out, that can be made into a bunch of new things that can just be managed like other scrap metal would be.Katie Grant: [00:26:59] We have had this law in place here in Wisconsin for about 10 years now. And we've made really great strides with recycling those electronics, but there's still work to be done. What do you see as our biggest challenges moving forward? Sarah Murray: [00:27:14] I mean, the first is definitely what we talked about before. I think just how much consumers are having to pay or maybe not having access to recycle certain types of electronics, especially some of those older TVs.That's probably the number one thing we'd like to solve. It may not be free for everybody because especially those old TVs, they do have a real cost to recycle and to handle even at the collection site, but we don't want it to be such a barrier that people are either unwilling or unable to recycle.What I would like to see us look at going forward too, is just how electronics are changing. I mean, if you think 10 years ago, the types of electronics we're using were very different. They were just starting to be smartphones and tablets, and now we have all the smart home devices and everything else like that.The issue of data being on everything, including things like TVs that we wouldn't normally have thought about, and of the batteries being kind of a new – they've gotten rid of a lot of the hazardous materials like lead and mercury – but the batteries represent the sort of new hazard. I think those are two big challenges and for the batteries, especially, it's not even just for what we've traditionally covered under E-cycle Wisconsin, it's things like e-cigarettes and toys and all kinds of things that are electronic, I have this flashlight with the lithium battery built into it. I'm not quite sure what I'll do with it when I'm done, cause it's not part of this collection system we've set up specifically, even though a lot of recyclers could handle them.Katie Grant: [00:28:40] What do you see as the biggest success of this program over the last 10 years? Sarah Murray: [00:28:44] I think it has accomplished one of the main things that it set out to do, which is just improving the infrastructure for people. If we look at what collection opportunities and recycling opportunities were available to people in the past, we've seen a lot of investment and growth in the recyclers and also in the collection sites network. And it's not perfect with some of the costs, but I think it's a lot easier now if you want to recycle your electronics than it was 10 or 11 years ago. Katie Grant: [00:29:14] What advice do you have for people heading into the holidays with regard to recycling old items that they may have upgraded this year?Sarah Murray: [00:29:23] So one thing I would encourage people is if they're shopping for new items, take a look first and see if there's a retailer or manufacturer that does offer a free or maybe a low cost take back program. I say that, especially for TVs, because I think there are some retailers that if you're getting a TV delivered, they may haul it away.So you want to factor that in when you're shopping. I know you're probably shopping for the best price in addition to the technology you want, but think a little bit about what you're going to do with the old one before you get the new one, because you might keep some options open. I guess it's just one tip.And then I think resist the temptation to just put that old one, you know, in a closet or a drawer someplace else. It's something that's so easy for us all to do, especially when it's so crazy after the holidays. And we're just trying to declutter, but sit down when you have a minute to take a breath and just make a list maybe of the old things that you have tried to gather them up.Think about that issue of the data, and then maybe make it a goal for even the spring when there are starting to be more collection events or maybe your local drop off sites have extended hours to be able to take those in so that they don't end up sitting in your drawer or your closet for two or three more years. Katie Grant: [00:30:36] You've been listening to Wild Wisconsin, a podcast brought to you by the Wisconsin DNR. Need help finding E-cycling options near you, or have other questions about the process and want to learn more? Send those questions to DNRpodcast@wisconsin.gov and we'll work with Sarah and the rest of our staff to get you answers. For more great content, be sure to subscribe to Wild Wisconsin wherever you get your podcasts. Leave us a review or tell us who you'd like to hear from on a future episode. Thanks for listening.
The UK Parliament's Environmental Audit Committee wants electronics firms to help recycle. Philip Dunne chairs the committee, and tells us why its report on Electronic Waste and the Circular Economy focuses on encouraging manufacturers to tackle e-waste rather than consumers. And Janet Gunter, co-founder of the Restart Project, which helps people to repair broken consumer electronics, discusses why the practice has gone out of fashion. Also in the programme, we find out why German authorities are seeking a European Union deal to close ski resorts this winter amid coronavirus fears. The BBC's Tamasin Ford reports on why Africa seems to be outperforming other parts of the world economically in the wake of the pandemic. Plus, we hear from JP Teti, founder of Passyunk Avenue restaurant in London, about how the firm is helping Americans in the city enjoy Thanksgiving under lockdown.
Smartphones die. But is it just a coincidence that it happens right after the warranty runs out? Or is it a clever sales strategy known as 'planned obsolescence'?
By Ahmed Ibrahim Nowadays with technological development, people discard their old mobile phones to obtain new sets which means a lot of electronic waste that works on polluting the environment through non-recycling or dumping. If you’re concerned with the environment, it is easy to save it by knowing this information. Facts about cell phones E-waste: 20 to 50 million metric tons of electronic waste are disposed of worldwide every year. Cell phones and other electronic items contain high amounts of precious metals like gold or silver. For every 1 million cell phones that are recycled, 35,274 lbs of copper, 772 lbs of silver, 75 lbs of gold, and 33 lbs of palladium can be recovered. A large number of electronic waste isn’t waste at all, as whole electronic equipment or parts are readily marketable for reuse or can be recycled for materials recovery. Some recycled phones are broken down into their parts, but many are refurbished and then resold to users in developing countries. Most e-waste is dumped than recycled, according to the EPA, with just 12.5 percent being recycled. Raw materials like copper, gold, lead, zinc, beryllium, tantalum, coltan would require significant resources to mine and manufacture. This is why it is important to recycle old sets and source these increasingly scarce materials whenever possible. How to get rid of E-waste? Your old mobile phone can be used by another person. Same with your old computer or television. Donate it to friends or charities, it is better than the hazardous e-waste materials ending up in a landfill somewhere. You can also bring it to the recycler as many non-profit organizations and local communities offer options to help you recycle old electronics. Also, you may have to take it to a tech firm as some manufacturers and retailers offer recycling programs like Apple Trade In, Mi Exchange, and Samsung Upgrade Program To know more about E-waste that is thrown out worldwide you can visit Theworldcounts website, it offers statistics by year, month, and week or even by day. Social and environmental responsibility of tech companies Recently plenty of tech companies take steps towards saving the environment from toxic substances, such as lead, mercury, and cadmium that must be disposed of carefully. The best example for environmentally friendly companies which solved the dilemma and reduced waste by creating more sustainable smartphones manufactured from Fairtrade gold, recycled plastics and conflict-free minerals, easier to repair, interchangeable by the user, supported for a longer time is Fairphone company which was founded by Bas van Abel, Tessa Wernink and Miquel Ballester in January 2013 and Its headquarter is in Amsterdam, Netherlands. As a part of social responsibility, some companies dealt with Fairphone to reduce waste Ex: Apple. Bas Van Abel said during an interview with siliconcanals “We have a lot of contact with Apple and we share parts of the supply chain with them. We managed to switch a factory to fair trade gold a while back. Apple also bought printed circuit boards there. I’m pretty sure there are iPhones out there containing fair trade gold, without Apple knowing.” E-waste: Conclusion It may take a while before larger companies embrace the fairer electronics path. According to what Van Abel said Sustainability is not without surrenders, mobile phones will be a bit thicker when the battery is replaceable and it means that you don’t have to buy a new phone once the battery dies. The solution to the entire problem lies with us, the people that buy sets. About the author: Ahmed Ibrahim is a technology geek, writes about technology trends, technological companies, new products, new technology like artificial intelligence, the Internet of things, and big data. If you would like to get in touch with Ahmed contact him via: E-mail: AhmedIbrahim09@hotmail.com Twitter: @ahmedibrahim09 LinkedIn: More about Irish Tech News and...
It is inevitable that the things we make and use eventually outlive their useful lives and become waste that we have to deal with. Solar panels, despite their impressively long lifetime, can’t escape this general principle. As pioneering solar panels near the end of their 30-year electronic lives, they could well become the world’s next […]
Sustainability is a goal that needs to be a priority. Several different industries would stand to benefit from pursuing sustainability goals. We all know that the pervasiveness of plastic is everywhere and plastic will not go away on its own if left to degrade in the environment. Let's talk about how plastic is so resilient and what that means for the environment. But what if there was a way that we could take all of the polyethylene, recycle it, and get a whole range of new uses out of it? That's where some cutting edge research steps in to potentially address the problem. Let's also talk about sustainability in the food and electronics industries as well as new technologies that can be applied there. In all of these cases, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) plays a vital role in researching these issues. Image from The Wall Street Journal. Links to the research discussed in this episode: Recycling single-use polyethylene to get useful products- Celik, Gokhan, et al. “Upcycling Single-Use Polyethylene into High-Quality Liquid Products.” ACS Central Science, vol. 5, no. 11, 2019, pp. 1795–1803., doi:10.1021/acscentsci.9b00722. Increase sustainability and nutritional value of almond orchards- Jahanzad, Emad, et al. “Orchard Recycling Improves Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Potential of Almond Production Systems.” Plos One, vol. 15, no. 3, 2020, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0229588. Recycling metals used in circuit boards- Khaliq, Abdul, et al. “Metal Extraction Processes for Electronic Waste and Existing Industrial Routes: A Review and Australian Perspective.” Resources, vol. 3, no. 1, 2014, pp. 152–179., doi:10.3390/resources3010152. Follow the show on social media: Facebook or Instagram Want to get in touch with the show? Please email spacesportsspectroscopy@gmail.com for any questions, episode ideas, or suggestions! Please consider becoming a patron of the show by signing up on Patreon! It helps the show create new and interesting episodes and you might even have the chance to be on a future episode! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sp3-space-sports-spectro/support
From cool fabrics, to melting ice and recycling e-waste. How can a fabric let air through, but keep water out? Clothing that is breathable, water resistant and thermally efficient hits the sweet spot of a super fabric. Making clothes more efficient at cooling but also self cleaning can reduce our reliance on air conditioning. Using electricity and some polymers we can spin up some new cool clothing fabrics. Melting ice in your frozen over freezer can be made easier with biphillic materials. Materials that both hate and love water at the same time, can help melt ice and make heater exchangers more efficient. Recycling e-waste can be tricky, but what if we could use the by-products to make new, stronger coatings for steel? Turning e-waste into a steel boosting coating. Rumana Hossain, Veena Sahajwalla. Material Microsurgery: Selective Synthesis of Materials via High-Temperature Chemistry for Microrecycling of Electronic Waste. ACS Omega, 2020; 5 (28): 17062 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c00485 Xi Yu, Yang Li, Xianfeng Wang, Yang Si, Jianyong Yu, Bin Ding. Thermoconductive, Moisture-Permeable, and Superhydrophobic Nanofibrous Membranes with Interpenetrated Boron Nitride Network for Personal Cooling Fabrics. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2020; 12 (28): 32078 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c04486 Yashraj Gurumukhi, Shreyas Chavan, Soumyadip Sett, Kalyan Boyina, Srivasupradha Ramesh, Peter Sokalski, Kirk Fortelka, Maury Lira, Deokgeun Park, Juo-Yun Chen, Shreyas Hegde, Nenad Miljkovic. Dynamic Defrosting on Superhydrophobic and Biphilic Surfaces. Matter, 2020; DOI: 10.1016/j.matt.2020.06.029
Electronic waste can be costly and even dangerous to dispose of. In Cameroon's capital Yaoundé, the NGO Solidarité Technologique collects and recycles electronics — making them more affordable for locals.
Modern devices like computers and phones have improved our world and how we do business. Unfortunately, they are hard to get rid of. Now a Nigerian company is using best-practice methods to recycle these electronics.
Modern devices like computers and phones have improved our world and how we do business. Unfortunately, they are hard to get rid of. Now a Nigerian company is using best-practice methods to recycle these electronics.
Impact Earth: Mindful Living Episode 2 Benjamin Von Wong, Viral Epic Conservation Photographer and activist Art for the Planet: Making Positive Impact Unforgettable, Benjamin Von Wong’s work lies at the intersection of fantasy and photography and combines everyday objects with shocking statistics. It has attracted the attention of corporations, like Starbucks, Dell, and Nike and […]
Learn about E-Waste, one of the most overlooked epidemics in our society today. Every year 50-million tons of electronic waste is created. With computers, cell-phones and tablets being created, purchased and promptly thrown into landfills, it is the number one fastest growing waste form in our society. By recycling our electronic products we can create recycled energy, eliminate toxic e-waste that is currently polluting our soil, air, water and in turn our bodies. Hear from Professor Lucy McAllister, a specialist in e-waste research. She knows we all love our cell-phones and live in a world that is now based around technology, however, she has incredible insight on how to shift our relationship with electronics and e-waste. We are upgrading our electronics at unsustainable rates, with 1000 of chemicals going into production causing serious harm to our bodies and the environment. Also hear from Dr. Aimin Chen about the hazardous impacts of e-waste on our bodies; from exposure for workers (inhalation, and skin exposure), to exposure for residents who live in E-Waste recycling zones (air, food, and water). Furthermore, on a daily basis American citizens are exposed to e-waste toxins through air exposure and contamination in our food. There are adverse health impacts on the body, birth defects, pre-mature birth, cognitive dysfunction, DNA damage. Cancer-risk, respiratory and cardio vascular studies are all suspected and require further long term studies. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/healthy-radio/support
Performance artist Dani Ploeger discusses electronic waste (e-waste), planned obsolescence of technology and the posthuman in performance. Dani's work investigates and subverts the spectacles of sex, violence and waste in techno-consumer culture. He has undergone an operation in which electronic waste was installed in his abdomen by a body piercer, has worked with traditional metal workers in the old city of Cairo to encase tablet computers in plate steel, attended firearms training in Poland to shoot an iPad with an AK47, and travelled to dump sites in Nigeria to collect electronic waste originating from Europe. Find out more: futurespodcast.net -- ON THIS EPISODE -- (re)Performing the Posthuman Transhumanism Consumerism Guy Debord Zygmunt Bauman James Bond Kinect Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Electronic Waste Planned obsolescence Mary Douglas Transmediale Juju -- CREDITS -- Produced by Futures Podcast Recorded, Mixed & Edited by Luke Robert Mason -- SOCIAL MEDIA -- Twitter: @FuturesPodcast | #FuturesPodcast Instagram: @FuturesPodcast Facebook: @FuturesPodcast -- RECORDING EQUIPMENT -- Zoom H6 Handy Recorder Zoom LiveTrak L-8 Shure SM58 Dynamic Vocal Microphone RØDE Procaster Broadcast Dynamic Microphone RØDE PSM1 Microphone Shock Mount RØDE PSA1 Studio Microphone Boom Arm RØDE DS1 Desktop Microphone Stand
Assistant Professor of Humanities Aidan Wong from SMU’s School of Social Sciences has researched on the areas of development and sustainability, in particular on electronic waste, informal labour and economic development. In recent years, he has published a paper on ‘Waste’, Value and Informal Labour: The Regional E-Waste Recycling Production Network in Malaysia and Singapore” and is seeking to update it. In this podcast, Assistant Professor Wong discusses the value of electronic waste recycling and sustainability in Singapore.
Welcome to the third episode of the Africast podcast! In today's episode, Frank Achampeong, a student of industrial chemistry and environmental resource management talks about the challenges of waste management in Ghana. In particular, electronic waste which results from the import of used electronics. What is the Africast podcast? Africast started as a group project within the scholarship program of the TUM: Junge Akademie. The three students behind this project are Jaimee Lau, Marius Merkle and Patrick Sowinski, all of them students at the Technical University of Munich with different study backgrounds. Currently, a total of seven podcast episodes is planned to be released in 2019. The guests will range from students and academic workers to researchers and professionals from Ghana. Our goal is to raise awareness for academic projects in Ghana and to help people from Germany and Europe to learn more about them. The project was inspired by the TUM Africa Initiative, which aims to strengthen the collaboration between the TUM and different universities in Africa. In the next episode, we will learn about TU eMpower Africa! Links: TUM: Junge Akademie - https://www.ja.tum.de/en/home/ Info about Africa Initiative: https://www.tum.de/nc/en/about-tum/news/press-releases/details/35122/ UCC: https://ucc.edu.gh/ KNUST: https://www.knust.edu.gh/ Intro music: Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Ravi Agarwal is an artist and activist based in New Delhi, where he founded the NGO Toxics Link. We hear Ravi's reflections on his life between disciplines. The post Restart Podcast Ep. 43: A life in art, activism and electronic waste with Ravi Agarwal appeared first on The Restart Project.
Green Dreamer: Sustainability and Regeneration From Ideas to Life
You're reading this on an electronic device. Do you know what happens to electronics after they're disposed of? Here are 7 shocking things I learned when I dug deeper into this topic, as well as simple things we can do to help address issues around e-waste. Find the full show notes with references linked at www.GreenDreamer.com/75, and follow me on Instagram @KameaChayne where I'll be sharing more of my inspirations, tips, and learning lessons along the way. Thanks for bringing your light! x
MONEY FM 89.3 - Prime Time with Howie Lim, Bernard Lim & Finance Presenter JP Ong
By Sharon See
In this week’s episode: The United Nations focuses on the plight of 65 million refugees and migrants, plus a closer look at what happens to all the electronics we throw away, and scientists weigh in on the "five-second rule."
September 23, 2016 — In our new podcast series, Harvard Chan: This Week in Health, we’ll bring you top health headlines—from wellness tips to important global health trends. You’ll also hear insight from Harvard Chan experts. In this week’s episode: The United Nations focuses on the plight of 65 million refugees and migrants, plus a closer look at what happens to all the electronics we throw away, and scientists weigh in on the "five-second rule." You can subscribe to this podcast by visiting iTunes, listen to it by following us on Soundcloud, and stream it on the Stitcher app. Visit our archive page to listen to all of our past episodes.
Electronic waste is threatening to overwhelm our landfills. Despite the popularity of global recycling programs, we're a long way from solving the problem of what to do with the waste from discarded business and consumer electronic devices. As much as 85 percent of electronic products were discarded in landfills or incinerators last year. And the release of the iPhone 6 has brought the issue to a ''tipping point,'' says Linda Li, executive director and corporate vice president of strategy with Li Tong Group. On this episode, she discusses where previous recycling efforts have fallen short, and why we're still not deriving maximum use from the materials contained in old devices. Li argues for a ''closed-loop'' approach to managing e-waste supply chains ''the Holy Grail of the recycling business.''
Green Diva Lynn Hasselberger does a great Green Divas myEARTH360 report on what we need to know about eWaste, including some shocking statistics. She also talks about the acidification of our oceans and more about climate change.
Green Dude Seth Letiman (aka Green Living Guy) talks about ways to responsibly dispose of eWaste.
The one downside to technology is that there is always the latest version of every gadget to upgrade! Learn where and how to get rid of those old electronics you are quickly out growing. Trees go dormant winter but that doesn’t mean they don’t Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The one downside to technology is that there is always the latest version of every gadget to upgrade! Learn where and how to get rid of those old electronics you are quickly out growing. Trees go dormant winter but that doesn’t mean they don’t Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Green Dude Eco Ed shares some great ideas for being more responsible with our eWaste
Peter Langhorne discusses the potential of specialist stroke units in low and middle-income settings.
Especially after the holidays, there is a ton (actually, many tons) of electronic waste being discarded in favor of new e-toys. Listen for a couple of ideas about how to properly dispose of eWaste.
Electronic waste (e-waste) is a human health disaster in the making. According to www.greencitizen.com, e-waste affects nearly every system in the human body because they contain a plethora of toxic components including Mercury, Lead, Cadmium, Polybrominated Flame Retardants, Barium and Lithium. Even the plastic casings of electronics products contain Polyvinyl Chloride. The health effects of these toxins on humans include birth defects, brain, heart, liver, kidney and skeletal system damage. They will also significantly affect the nervous and reproductive systems of the human body. Electronic waste currently constitutes 2 to 5 percent of the US municipal solid waste stream and is rising by 3 to 5 percent per year. Carnegie Mellon University has predicted that there are already 70 million computers in our landfills. The average computer screen has five to eight pounds or more of lead representing 40 percent of all the lead in US landfills. Today's guest on Go Green Radio, James Kao, is the founder & CEO of Greencitizen, a company dedicated to properly handling e-waste and protecting human health.
With Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen
With Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen
With Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen
With Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen
Professor of Media and Cultural Studies, Toby Miller, examines the environmental impact of our obsession with technology.
Professor of Media and Cultural Studies, Toby Miller, examines the environmental impact of our obsession with technology.
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