A ‘right to repair’ bill before parliament aims to reduce the cost and difficulty of fixing consumer items. Setting minimum acceptable lifespans for common products should be the first step.
Could this heap of junk prevent us from having to open a new mine?
Hellebardius
Mining precious metals is expensive and environmentally destructive. As an alternative, researchers are increasingly eyeing recycling old smartphones, computers and other electronics.
Laura Young started campaigning to ban disposable vapes 16 months ago and now the UK government is taking action.
PHOTO CREDIT Laura Young
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.
Most of us have accumulated a stash of old devices, chargers and cables that sit forgotten in our homes.
MikhailSk/Shutterstock
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.
Children are among waste pickers exposed to hazards while working at the Olusosun landfill. Photo by: Lionel Healing/AFP.
from www,gettyimages.com
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.
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.
On the outskirts of Accra there are huge electronic waste disposal sites, known locally as Sodoma and Gomorra.
Photo by Maniglia Romano/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images
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.
What happens to millions of these?
Kristoferb/Wikipedia
Zheng Chen, University of California, San Diego and Darren H. S. Tan, University of California, San Diego
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.
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.
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.