Researchers Say Big Tech Has to Do More to Reduce Toxic E-Waste Levels. Making Phones with Longer Life Spans Would Help

By B.N. Frank

Materials needed to make digital, electronic, and wireless devices and infrastructure are often referred to as “Conflict Minerals” because of their devastating environmental and humanitarian costs which include massive amounts of toxic Electronic Waste being added to landfills.

Earlier this year, the U.N. warned that 82% of E-Waste is NOT being recycled (see 1, 2, 3). According to one research group, tech companies need to take more responsibility in stopping this.

From MSN:

Tech companies aren’t doing enough to keep their devices out of landfills, and neither are we

It seems like every tech company is trying to sell their products as environmentally responsible. That’s why Apple claims its latest iPhone 12 line comes without a charging block in the box, for example.

But that hasn’t stopped tech companies from coming out with a host of new phones every year, and the old models we own get discarded, sometimes even thrown away in the trash and end up in landfills.

In 2019, nearly 153 million smartphones were sold according to Gartner, and in 2018, users were keeping their phones for about 2 years, but that time period is likely to drop as folks upgrade to 5G-capable phones.

Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit said that new influx of discarded phones isn’t easy to manage. “We don’t have the technology to take a truck full of old iPhones, molt them down, grind them up and make new iPhones out of them. It’s flat out physically impossible.”

Read full article

Worldwide opposition to the “Race to 5G” includes opposition to the enormous levels of E-Waste it will create in addition to what’s already NOT being recycled.

Become an Activist Post Patron for just $1 per month at Patreon.

Activist Post reports regularly about 5G and other unsafe technology. For more information visit our archives and the following websites:

Become a Patron!

Subscribe to Activist Post for truth, peace, and freedom news. Send resources to the front lines of peace and freedom HERE! Follow us on SoMee, HIVE, Parler, Flote, Minds, MeWe, Twitter and Gab.

Provide, Protect and Profit from what’s coming! Get a free issue of Counter Markets today.