We change mobile almost every year, we throw away hard drives and USB sticks that have become too small, we buy cheap smart bracelets or smartwatches that we put on twice and eventually discard ... Recordable batteries, CDs, and DVDs that We no longer need ... We generate an immense amount of electronic waste ... where does it go?

Technological waste is a big problem because most of it is highly polluting, and its effects can last more than a thousand years. It is a responsibility that falls on all the links of the chain: manufacturers who do not use greener materials because they are more expensive, consumers who want to pay as little as possible for our devices and change them every year without needing it for fashion or custom, and governments that do not invest enough in recycling plants or in properly treating waste.

According to the UN, in 2018 the world generated 50 million tons of technological garbage. That means that each inhabitant of Earth produced 6.6 Kilos of technological waste. In Spain, a million tons of electronic waste is generated, and according to Orange,  we throw away 20 million mobiles every year, and we keep an average of 3 old mobiles at home.

What happens when we throw a cell phone or batteries in the trash or take it to a recycling center? 

We will try to find out, even though it is not easy to keep track of the waste.

The types of 'electronic scrap'

Technological waste, electronic scrap, or technological waste is also known under the technical name of WEEE (Waste from electrical and electronic equipment). Technological trash is considered any electronic waste powered by electricity or electromagnetic fields that no longer works, or its useful life has ended.

These technological residues are grouped into seven categories. The division is important because each group has a different recycling method. It requires its recycling and handling process plants.

These are the categories:

  • Temperature exchange devices (stoves, air conditioning, etc.)
  • Monitors, screens, and devices with panels greater than 100 cm²
  • Lamps
  • Small computer and telecommunications equipment (less than 50 cm)
  • Large appliances (with an external dimension greater than 50 cm)
  • Small appliances (less than 50 cm)
  • Large photovoltaic panels (with an external dimension greater than 50 cm)

Why is it so dangerous and polluting?

The problem with scrap metal, even more, serious than other waste such as plastic, is that electronic devices are made of metals and other toxic chemicals. These toxic materials are enclosed in containers, such as a battery or the inside of a screen, or they are not toxic to the touch but they can be deadly if you ingest them. When a battery or monitor ends up in the landfill and breaks or degrades, they release those toxic metals that seep into the soil and water. They go to the plants and animals, and we end up ingesting them.

In other cases, toxic materials travel as gases when garbage is burned or electronic devices themselves, to extract the precious metals they also contain (gold, silver, platinum, and other rarer ones).

These are some examples of toxic metals contained in technological waste, and their effects on our body, or the environment.

There are more than two dozen toxic and harmful materials that are released through technological waste.

Another additional problem is that they are not biodegradable, and their harmful effect can remain active for hundreds or thousands of years.

The first problem is ourselves

To be responsible for the technology we consume, the first thing to do is to recognize our mistakes. Consumers are the first to contribute to increasing the mountain of technological waste irresponsibly.

We change mobile phones every year even though we do not need it, we use dozens of disposable batteries when we could use the rechargeable ones, we buy small or very cheap USB memory sticks or micro SD cards, and soon we throw them away because they do not work or they have filled up quickly. We bought 3 or 4 smart bracelets from different brands, to try because they are very cheap. And there are many other examples.

We throw away products that are still working, or have a minor breakdown, when we could fix them, or donate them, to the trash.

 

If we try to extend the lifespan of technology, we buy only what we need without being carried away by fads and fads, and we try to repair or give a second life to products that we no longer need, we would greatly reduce technological waste.

The scandal of planned obsolescence

Much of the blame for the excess waste we generate is also the fault of the manufacturers who create technological products.

We have already talked about the irresponsible use of toxic materials, simply because they are cheaper, but there are many other open fronts.

One of the most controversial is planned obsolescence. This is called a premeditated action by the manufacturer of a product so that it stops working correctly when it reaches a certain date.

The clearest examples of programmed obsolescence that we have experienced in recent years are the expiration of the batteries, which stop working after a time and in many cases, especially in cheap products, are not non-replaceable.

Or the operating systems, which stop updating after two years of the launch of the mobile, forcing users to change to finish even if it is like new, to enjoy the new features of the latest version of iOS or Android.

Another outrageous example is that of reparations. It has happened to all of us, take an appliance to be repaired to the technical service and tell you that it is cheaper to buy a new one than to repair it. Or directly, that it cannot be repaired because there are no parts.

Not to mention the traps. In 2017, it was discovered that most manufacturers programmed printers to indicate that a cartridge is out of stock when there is still 20% ink left.

Another recent controversy with Apple batteries took place in 2017 when it was discovered that Apple was intentionally slowing down old iPhone 6s when the battery was starting to show signs of wear.

The excuse that he put is that the iPhone is reset when the battery is in bad condition, and by reducing the speed, consumption is reduced and unexpected restarts are avoided. But many experts called it a " dirty trick of planned obsolescence " by failing to warn users that their iPhone was running slower, making it easier for them to buy a new one.

Where does electronic scrap end up?

When a technological device stops working or is outdated or we don't want it, several things can happen.

Some unscrupulous people throw it in open fields or illegal dumps. This garbage is never recycled and ends up polluting the area.

It is also irresponsible to throw it away. In landfills, attempts are made to recover the technological garbage that is in plain sight, but that which is buried in mountains of garbage is never recycled, degrading in the garbage dump and filtering toxic materials into the earth and water. Either it burns and these materials are spread through smoke and gases.

The most sensible option is to take it to a clean spot. There they will recycle everything possible.

80% ... to China or the Third World

The countries that generate the most waste are the most advanced, or those with the most populations. According to Iberdrola, China, the United States, and Japan are the most polluting. Small countries like Tuvalu or Micronesia, the least:

However, based on the kilos of technological waste per inhabitant, the most polluting in the world are the Nordic countries: Iceland, Norway, and Denmark, followed by Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

As recognized by UNEP itself, the United Nations Environment Program, 80% of technological waste ends up in landfills in China or Africa. We sell electronic scrap to them because they earn money therefrom recycling, second-hand sales, sale of spare parts, or extraction of precious metals from devices.

But the result is that a good part of the polluting waste from Europe or the United States ends up polluting these countries.

The largest technological landfill is located in the city of Guiyu, in China. There the entire population, 150,000 people, are dedicated to processing electronic waste. There are almost 6,000 companies, mostly family-owned, that dismantle electronic products to obtain gold, copper, lead, and other valuable metals.

There, the levels of lead and copper are 300 times higher than the average in other nearby cities. The water is no longer drinkable, and they have to supply the city with tank trucks. If a shoe touches the river, it must be thrown away.

Another of the largest landfills is located in Agbogbloshie, Ghana, where 30,000 people work. The country imports 250,000 tons of electronic waste from the First World. The concentration of heavy metals in the area is a thousand times greater than the average. In schools near the landfill, lead, cadmium, and other pollutants are more than 50 times risk-free.

Also, the practice of burning plastics so that only metals remain is widespread. That toxic smoke stretches hundreds of kilometers.

Other technology dumps are located in the Philippines, Nigeria, and India.

Recycling plants

The electronic devices that we take to a clean point or throw in containers enabled for it, go to the recycling plants. But in 2018, it barely accounted for 20% of all technology that is discarded. As we have seen, the remaining 80% is lost in the garbage or sold to the Third World.

These recycling plants try to recover as many parts and materials as possible, for reuse. If this is not possible, an attempt is made to eliminate or minimize the effect of toxic materials.

We can take Ewaste as an example, a recently created electrical and electronic equipment waste treatment plant in the Canary Islands, which is considered the most modern and advanced in Europe.

Ewaste is capable of treating more than 100 different types of electronic devices, with a decontamination rate of 99.8% of greenhouse gases.

It has five independent electronic waste treatment lines: electrical and electronic appliances with refrigerant gases, small electronic and electrical appliances, televisions and monitors, large household appliances, and computer equipment.

In this scheme we can see the line of treatment of small electronic devices:

A pre-crusher allows mechanical dismantling (1) and has a dust extraction system to remove contaminants. Eight operators (2) manually separate certain toxic components: batteries, batteries, cables, motors, toner cartridges, etc.

With decontaminated waste, a shredder reduces its size. Then there is an automatic separation of ferrous metals (4) and non-ferrous metals from plastics (5). The plant processes 5,000 Kilos of waste per hour.

In the case of monitors and televisions, the cables, housings, printed circuit boards, capacitors, and copper coils are manually disassembled and separated, which will be deposited in specific containers.

Afterward, the cone and screen glasses are cut and separated, and the phosphor is aspirated.

 

Computer equipment goes to a manual disassembly line to recover each of its components: memories, printed circuit boards, CDs, and hard drives. They are subsequently destroyed.

What can we do about it?

We have seen how only 20% of electronic waste is recycled. The rest ends up in landfills in Asia and Africa. This vicious circle must be changed, for responsibility and ethics. What measures are we taking?

Fight against planned obsolescence

Fortunately, some governments have been serious about fighting planned obsolescence. The European Union is a pioneer: A few years ago,  the warranty period for all products was increased from 1 to 2 years, to force manufacturers to delay planned obsolescence. Initiatives such as including a shelf life label on all products are also being debated.

In France, the Law on Energy Transition and Green Growth (Law 2015-992) has been approved, which criminalizes proven planned obsolescence, with penalties of up to 2 years in prison and fines of 300,000 euros, or 5% of the company's annual sales.

There are also private initiatives. TENNIS is the Foundation for Energy and Sustainable Innovation without Scheduled Obsolescence and has created the ISSOP seal to indicate products that are not obsolete.

Most responsible companies

It is also vital that companies take responsibility. Fortunately, some are already doing so.

20 years behind schedule, beverage companies will stop using plastic rings and wrappers in 2020 and 2021, replacing them with cardboard rings.

Some, even more innovative, have developed edible rings that not only do not pollute but serve as food for fish if they end up in the sea.

In the field of technology, companies like Motorola are committed to repairing, rather than replacing. In addition to modular mobile designs, it has been the first manufacturer to offer mobile repair kits, to change the screen and other components easily.

Promote repair

In the last decades, we have lost the concept of repair. A whole generation has grown up under the use-and-throw culture, and that has to change.

There are initiatives such as  Repair Café, a network of stores that was born in the Netherlands, where certain days a week mechanics, engineers, computer scientists, and other experts meet and repair all the items that people bring them.

There are already more than 1,000 Repair Café worldwide, and their number continues to grow.

Do not throw it away!

Throwing away a tech product, even if you take it to a clean recycling point, should be the last resort. If you don't want to sell it second hand or you hardly get any money for it, there is still another possibility: donate it.

Some NGOs collect electronic devices even if they are old or damaged, fix them and donate them to disadvantaged people, or developing countries.

Smartphones and tablets are in high demand in poor or developing countries, even if they are old. You can do it at  Recycle Your Mobile, coordinated by Amnesty International. Also in  Mobilize through the Jungle.

No Lo Tiro is not an NGO, but a donation website open to all. You donate something, and anyone can claim it. Do you have a console, a computer, or a tablet that you no longer need? In  Juegaterapia they collect them for use by children with cancer.

Precisely, computers are in great demand in cultural associations, childcare, or are taken directly to poor countries. Surely at home, you have a PC that you no longer use. Give it to  Engineering Without Borders, or  Open Computing.

Reducing electronic waste starts with ourselves. Only in this way can we hold others accountable.