The right to repair (E-waste, digitalisation, pollution)

With the modern age and the digitalisation of the world we produce more and more electronic devices which are not sustainable enough and hardly can be repaired. This is a serious matter and governments and producers of these goods will have to change their way to let this e-waste be reduced to a minimum.

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What is E-waste

Electronic waste or e-waste describes discarded electrical or electronic devices. Used electronics which are destined for reuse, resale, salvage, recycling, or disposal are also considered e-waste. Informal processing of e-waste in developing countries can lead to adverse human health effects and environmental pollution.

Electronic scrap components, such as CPUs, contain potentially harmful materials such as lead, cadmium, beryllium, or brominated flame retardants. Recycling and disposal of e-waste may involve significant risk to health of workers and communities in developed countries and great care must be taken to avoid unsafe exposure in recycling operations and leaking of materials such as heavy metals from landfills and incinerator ashes.

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REDUCE, REUSE, RECYLCE

Collecting garbage will not save the world. Our electronics are too often thrown away after a couple of years cellphones in particular have one of the shortest life-cycle. Electronic devices are often difficult to repair. The parts are melted together and can hardly be replaced or recuperated. There is a future in Urban Mining. Instead of depleting valuable raw materials through traditional mining, our electronic waste has a wealth of resources to exploit. A win-win situation. Hence Reduse, Reuse and Recycle: make products that can be dismantled simply and safely, and so that they can be reused. This has to be the standard globally.

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Repair makes your products last longer.

Every cell phone repaired is one less that needs to be manufactured. Every laptop used for just one year longer lessens the strain on our finite resources. Every computer upgraded can go on to another user before it really needs to be replaced.

Buy repairable electronics whenever possible. Fix your phone and your computer when they wear out. Then keep using them, or give them away.

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