In one of our recent posts we discussed the psychology of technology - our increasing dependence and connectivity to our digital devices and the virtual world. This week OnQue investigates E-Waste and where our devices go once we give them the flick.

 

Do you remember the whereabouts of your Nokia 5110, original Ipod, old work desktop or even IPhone4?

Active mobile devices now outnumber the human species - many of these devices we consider to be “smart,” including a growing percentage that communicate from one machine to the another.

According to the US Census Bureau’s world population counter there are over 7.2 billion people on the planet, with that figure increasing by 1.2 per cent annually.        

The mobile analysis firm GSMA Intelligence monitors the number of active mobile connections, which currently stands at over 7.5 billion sim cards and counting. This figure is growing five times faster than the population counter. 

 

 That’s a lot of people and a serious amount of gadgets…

 

SO WHERE DO THEY ALL GO?

 

Australia is one of the world’s top ten consumers of electronic goods. We buy more than 4 million computers, 3 million televisions and 12.74 million mobiles annually. 

According to internationally accredited Electronic Waste Recyclers PGM refiners, 88% of this waste ends up in landfill where the contents can leak dangerous toxins into the ground, water and soil creating potentially severe environmental and health hazards over time.  

In Australia E- Waste is growing at three times the rate of general waste with less than 1% of televisions and approximately 10% of PCs and laptops being recycled around the nation. 

If we attempted to recycle even half of the televisions we discard, an estimate of 23,000 tonnes of C02 emissions would be reduced – which equates to around 5300 cars being absent on our roads for a whole year.  

 

WHAT ARE “RARE EARTH MINERALS”?

 

It’s not just what we are discarding that’s the issue. The by-products created by the materials we need to make our electronic devices have become a mounting issue. Rare earth minerals elements can be found in everything from magnets in electronic cars motors and wind turbines, to the electronic guts of flat screen TVs and smartphones. Baotou, the largest industrial city in Inner Mongolia is one of the world’s biggest suppliers of rare earth minerals, in fact it is estimated that 70% of the world’s reserves are located in the Bayan Obo mines just north of Baotou. In 2009 China produced 95% of the world’s supply of these elements, but at what cost?

 

The most startling impact of China’s sacrifice is the Baotou toxic lake, it’s creation attributed to the damming of a local river and the flooding of local farmland. Today, the lake is a dumping ground for waste by-products and is located just 20 minutes out of the city centre. Even before reaching its location the environmental impact of the mining on Baotou is dire; large-scale pipes jut out of the streets and abandoned refineries line the greying horizon. You can witness the sheer size of the lake on Google Maps and if you zoom in your able to make out the dozens of pipes which are pumping black, toxic, barely liquid sludge on a daily basis.  Upon visiting the site Guardian journalist Tim Maughan says it “feels like hell on earth.”  

 

Well that’s quite the IPhone 7 reality check…. 

 

LETS TALK ABOUT GREEN TECH

 

So what’s an alternative? Scientist’s from the University of Wisconsin-Madison have been producing “wooden” semiconductor chips that are almost completely biodegradable when deposited in landfill. As an added bonus these new-wave chips are also malleable, meaning they  so could be used in flexible electronics. 

 

One thing you should know however is that these chips aren’t actually made from rich mahogany… The substrate is a translucent material known as Cellulose NanoFibrils (CNF) – it’s also been dubbed nanofibrillated cellulose.    

 

The material is usually created by adding water to cellulose-containing minerals, which can be found in wood waste from paper or lumber mills. Wood fibers are broken down into much smaller cellulose nanofiber using high-pressure homogenizers, grinders of microfluidizers.    

The final substance is a gel that is freeze dried to remove any water, leaving behind the long, interconnected nanofibers. Working with US Department of Agriculture’s Forest Products Library, the researchers added an epoxy coating to the CNF, making the substrate smooth enough to apply non-CNF circuitry, which also keeps the material from expanding when taking on or releasing moisture.  

So… Lets go back a minute to traditional chips which use petroleum-based polymers as substrate, require the use of non-renewable resources, are non-biodegradable, are not flexible and contain toxic compounds...

 

Hmmm.

 

SO WHERE TO NOW?

 

Organisations such as The Electronics Take Back Coalition are raising awareness of E-waste issues and suggest simple management strategies such as not putting old electronics in the bin but instead taking them to an e-waste recycler or if they are still in working order passing them on to live another lifetime. Considering the deep connection we once felt with tour gadgets the least we can do is give them a happy send off.  Click here to find your closest e-waste recycler