Vlad Turiceanu
Right now, only a small amount of the electronic waste is properly processed and recycled. The rest is filling our landfills with dangerous substances, or it’s being incinerated, causing air pollution and accelerating climate change. The concept of waste diversion comes to the rescue, aiming to reduce the quantity of e-waste by prolonging the life of electronics by repairing them at home or with the help of local repair shops.
According to the World Economic Forum, by 2030 we will produce 81.6 million tons of electronic waste per year. WEEE Forum has even more alarming predictions: In 2023, we will produce 8 kg of e-waste per person which totals 61.3 million tonnes, and only 17.4% of it is being collected and recycled.
The list of dangerous substances that come from discarded electronics such as laptops, PCs, mobile devices, etc. is extensive; however, when it comes to hazardous contributors, the top substances are Beryllium, Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, and Nickel, not to mention the various plastic derivatives and coatings.
For instance, Beryllium is used in electronic components as copper-beryllium, and it is historically used in computer motherboards. Cadmium is known for its use in switches and contacts but it’s also a part of the Ni-Cd batteries of many laptops and lead is used for soldering on all the printed circuits inside electronics.
All these materials leach into soil, water, and air, contaminating the local ecosystem and posing health risks for both humans and wildlife. These are not just words on paper or monitors. For instance, lead damages the nervous system, especially in children, causing reduced IQ, developmental issues, and behavioral disorders. When mercury is burned, inhaling its fumes will damage the liver, kidneys, and respiratory system, contributing to lung cancer and other illnesses. PVC is all over in our electronics. However, the fumes resulting from burning it can affect the immune system and pose carcinogenic risks. These are just a few examples of how electronic waste can harm us or our environment.
Additionally, we are losing tons of useful and precious materials that are used in the batteries of laptops and mobile devices and in other electronic components of PCs such as the CPUs and RAM. From metals like Gold, Silver, Platinum, and Palladium to rare earth metals like Neodymium, Europium, and Yttrium, all of them are either scarce or costly to obtain.
A recent Right to Repair survey among its audience showcased by WindowsReport, reveals that 67% of consumers are unaware of electronics repair as an option while 63% of the respondents are concerned about the environmental impact of e-waste. “As an Engineer, not only should manufacturers be looking at DFM, but also DFT and DFR. I repair most things I have and only buy new when I don’t need something I can’t make, or re-purpose something else to do the job. If it’s too expensive, I’ll design a cheaper version and put it on the web for FREE”, writes one of the responders.
Of course, there are tech-savvy consumers out there who are knowledgeable about repairing or upgrading their electronics to prolong their lives. The rest of us have to send our electronics for repair at the repair shops which are licensed by the manufacturers.
It is clear that waste diversion has to become an important topic not only for manufacturers and the industry but also for us, the consumers. The Right to Repair movement will change all that and instead of discarding our electronics and buying new ones, we will opt to repair them ourselves, or with the help of a local repair shop.
Not long ago, California passed the Right to Repair Act and it’s among four states to do that, with 40 more working on the legislation. The law requires manufacturers to provide access to replacement parts, repair documentation, tools, and software, for up to seven years for devices worth more than $100.
This means you can either request the replacement parts and repair the device yourself or choose a local repair shop that can now fix your electronic equipment without voiding the warranty. Of course, repairing our electronics a lot faster and easier will automatically lead to less e-waste. We won’t be so rushed to throw away our perfectly good laptop or PC when the repair costs are just a fraction of the price for a new device.
The Right to Repair movement stirred a lot of interest as Reuse and recycling organizations joined with The Repair Association, calling for support of the act, and ISRI (the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries) representing more than 1600 for-profit recycling companies has even written a Right to Reuse policy: “Reuse provides an excellent environmental and economic benefit. Despite these benefits, product manufacturers limit the ability of recyclers to legitimately reuse products; for example, by limiting parts and parts information, manuals and utilizing digital locks that impede a product’s reuse. These practices inhibit every recyclers’ right to return products and goods back into the marketplace for legitimate reuse. Consumers should have access to cost-effective alternatives to new products and replacement parts”.
On the other hand, Americans spend an average of $1,480 on new electronics annually. Repairing instead of buying new devices could save households approximately $330 each year, totaling over $40B nationwide. So, if environmental concerns are not on our top list, we can still make the right decision based on the budget we save by repairing our devices.
The Right to Repair movement could also lead to a boost to the circle economy with a rising number of local repair shops that will handle our devices faster. Ultimately, they will also be able to double as recycling centers and become a valuable link in the e-waste management chain.
E-waste diversion is not about industry metrics, it’s about each and all of us. Definitely, we will all gain from this change, both by giving a second life to our electronics and producing less e-waste. And if the device is beyond repair, find a Certified E-Waste Recycler that will be able to dispose of your electronics the right way.