 Imagine breaking one piece of an electronic device, for example a battery, and having to buy a completely new one just because you just couldn't replace one item. This happens with anything from phones to cars, and we sadly can't do much about it. Not only is it an inconvenience for the consumer, it also increases e-waste by getting rid of perfectly good electronics. Since products are getting progressively harder to repair, Right to Repair movements have been pushing for repair tools. Now, what is the "Right to Repair"? In a couple words, it is the general right for a customer to be able to repair their own electronics/products that they have purchased and rightfully owned. Though this applies to all products, and you can technically fix them, companies try their best to make it as hard as possible to fix their products. Therefore they make you buy a brand new version of the products that broke. One of the companies that did this was Apple, an incredibly successful electronics company. They have very rare materials/parts that are very specific to, for example, iPhones, so that it would be very hard for customers to fix their iPhone alone.Though this is horrible, especially for the e-waste crisis, it appears that Apple may be changing their ways. Just a couple weeks ago Apple released a “Self Service Repair program” that will help customers perform their own repairs from the comfort of their own homes. Next year, they will start selling pieces and repair tools for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 in the United States, and then expand to more countries over 2022. This will enable customers to fix their products without having to waste a (almost) completely functional item. Since Apple is such a huge company, this could be a big help with e-waste because there would be a lot less wasting of good electronics. Though Apple still recommends visiting a professional Apple repair shop (which is super expensive), this new Self Service Repair program might just help with the prevention of e-waste, and give customers a bit less reliant on the brand. Learn more: https://www.repair.org/stand-up https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/19/22787245/apple-iphone-mac-self-service-program-repair-diy Written by Amelia Halverson, Ontario, Canada
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Everyone needed something that was portable, effective, and very easy to use. The perfect candidate was the laptop! Now they have become a key part of life and work, and are used almost everywhere. This video was even made on a laptop. Though they may be the saviors of our sanity in these past years, they have a flaw; they are incredibly hard to recycle. The problem is, modern laptops are made of many different materials that are incredibly hard to disassemble. These include different types of plastic, thin batteries, and LED light strips.
though it is a huge challenge. Secondly, it helps to reduce the amount of laptops sent to landfills. Even if people might be aware of the benefits to recycling laptops, they decide not to for various reasons. One main reason for this is that data does not simply disappear from your laptop because you recycle it. This means that if you don’t wipe your device, there is a risk of identity theft. Identify theft is when someone steals another person’s personal information and uses it for their own benefit, for example, stealing money from their bank account. This is a very serious problem, and one that could lead to a lot of bad things for the victim. Because of this data problem, many people are reluctant to recycle their laptops, meaning that most laptops end up in a box in people’s basements or worse, in the landfill. We need to do something about this problem, or else the e-waste will get worse and worse. Written by Amelia Halverson, Ontario, Canada The Problems with Laptops During COVID-19
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Written by Joshua Lou, California, USA
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Written by Joshua Lou, California, USA $ellPhone — An App to Sell, Donate, & Recycle Used Phones
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E-waste is basically waste/trash related to electricity. If it’s powered by electricity (e.g. batteries, cable), it’s considered e-waste. Common e-waste in your household may include mobile phones, computers, refrigerators, etc. But why do we need to recycle e-waste? Many types of e-waste contain harmful substances that can pollute and/or contaminate the environment. Also, e-waste contains precious metals, such as gold and silver, that can be reused. What Types of E-waste are There?
THERE IS A WAY
Written by Joshua Lou, California, USA Tags:
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