iPhone 14 (left) and Samsung Galaxy S22 (right) – Philip Michaels, Tom’s Guide
Whenever the new iPhone or the Samsung Galaxy (just naming the most popular phones in the states) comes out, many people flock to the shopping center online and eagerly click pre-order. Some are fortunate to have their order processed with a shipment date for their new product; others, however, must wait a little longer. But, one key elements gets thrown out in this mix: the smartphones being replaced.
In some cases, these customers receive some cash value for their gadgets through trade-in programs. Others may simply sell them online to another consumer. The final scenario, when these phones are of no use, is that they’re trashed, contributing to the ongoing global problem of e-waste, or electronic waste. Each year, about 50 million metric tons of e-waste is deposited! Understandably, we must ask the following question: what can be done to combat e-waste?
Global legislative approach
The European Union (EU) introduced two key initiatives to combat e-waste: Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) and Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS). The WEEE ensured that manufacturers of electronic items (the ten categories in image below) financed recovery and recycling procedures when their produced items eventually ran out of their shelf life. The RoHS supplements the WEEE by restricting harmful chemicals in electronic equipment like lead, calcium, mercury, and seven other substances. Unfortunately, the WEEE and RoHS represents a “theory over practice” situation: while more recycling plants were organized, they ultimately couldn’t encourage large-scale waste prevention and reuse.
The 10 categories of electrical items covered under the WEEE directive – PRXB.com
Meanwhile, the United States doesn’t yet have a dedicated federal program to combat e-waste. They’re also stuck in a conundrum: the Basel Convention. The Basel Convention is an international treaty created in 1989 to stop the movement of electronic waste between countries. The United States ships out about 10-40% of its e-waste despite international forbidding such practices. Understandably, the US did not ratify the Basel Convention because a ratification would require passing federal laws illegalizing import and export of e-waste – illegalizing e-waste export would mean relying on expensive U.S. labor.
So, what can we do when legislation is still a clear work in progress?
Nice cases that can protect your phone! – Jordan Bowman, NYMag
The most obvious solution to the global e-waste problem would be reducing how e-waste we contribute individually. Just within the United States, about 95 million smartphones users shatter their phones every year! This problem is rather preventable for the most part: simply using a smartphone case will mitigate the likelihood of your phone shattering if it drops. Not only would putting on a case save you from buying another phone, but it’d also mean lesser components and lesser chemicals released in producing that other replacement phone.
Another simple way we can combat e-waste is to reduce how frequently you upgrade your smartphone even when it’s still functional. While the rate at which consumers are upgrading their phones every year is decreasing, the rate still stands at 11.89%. There is no valid justification in doing so: smartphone technology is becoming more long-lasting with each incremental upgrade, so please hold onto your phone for at least two to three years – there’s simply no need to buy the new iPhone or Samsung Galaxy every year!
While I was aware e-waste was an issue, I did not realize the level at which people throw away electronic products each year. While the easiest ways to lessen this issue are by doing simple things like using a phone case and prolonging the use of one phone, the materialistic reality of society significantly reduces the chance that people take these precautions. Overall, this was a very informative post.
Hi Varun! My name is Lianna and I’m in the 10AM section of ENG 138T. I enjoyed reading your post because environmental issues are a big focus of mine. I really appreciated your point about the lack of legal infrastructure to decrease E-waste because I wasn’t aware of the Basel Convention before now. Another piece of the puzzle that I’d also consider if I were you would be e-waste from other devices such as smart watches and PCs. For example, I recently broke my Fitbit, and I’m currently trying to determine whether it’s worth it to get it fixed (even though costs will be higher) or simply to get a new one (even though that means contributing to electronic waste). Your post was a good reminder that I can personally have an impact on reducing e-waste, so I’m going to look further into fixing my watch before I take a look at buying a new one. Thanks for what you had to say on this topic, and good luck with the rest of your semester!
As someone whose phone screen is cracked and partially black, I’ve been thinking a lot about just getting a new phone as I’ve had this one for a few years now. But it always shocks me when my more affluent friends will get a new iPhone whenever they’re released just so they have the newest technology. I’m curious as to whether or not technology that’s sold as refurbished or used is helping with preventing e-waste as it’s just spreading around pre-owned technology rather than making people buy new. I also wonder if there are ways big companies like Apple can help prevent e-waste. Are there such things as recyclable phones?