American E-waste is Causing a 'Hidden Tsunami' in Southeast Asia, Report Says (nbcnews.com) 70
Millions of tons of discarded electronics from the United States are being shipped overseas, much of it to developing countries in Southeast Asia unprepared to safely handle hazardous waste, according to a new report by an environmental watchdog. AP: The Seattle-based Basel Action Network, or BAN, said a two-year investigation found at least 10 U.S. companies exporting used electronics to Asia and the Middle East, in what it says is a "hidden tsunami" of electronic waste. "This new, almost invisible tsunami of e-waste, is taking place ... padding already lucrative profit margins of the electronics recycling sector while allowing a major portion of the American public's and corporate IT equipment to be surreptitiously exported to and processed under harmful conditions in Southeast Asia," the report said.
Electronic waste, or e-waste, includes discarded devices like phones and computers containing both valuable materials and toxic metals like lead, cadmium and mercury. As gadgets are replaced faster, global e-waste is growing five times quicker than it's formally recycled. The world produced a record 62 million metric tons in 2022. That's expected to climb to 82 million by 2030, according to the United Nations' International Telecommunication Union and its research arm, UNITAR.
Electronic waste, or e-waste, includes discarded devices like phones and computers containing both valuable materials and toxic metals like lead, cadmium and mercury. As gadgets are replaced faster, global e-waste is growing five times quicker than it's formally recycled. The world produced a record 62 million metric tons in 2022. That's expected to climb to 82 million by 2030, according to the United Nations' International Telecommunication Union and its research arm, UNITAR.
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The idea that e-waste is purely evil ignores how it fuels the next wave of industrial reuse and material innovation. E-waste contains vast quantities of recoverable metals like gold copper and palladium, often at concentrations far higher than those found in natural ore. Properly processed, this waste becomes an urban mine reducing the need for new extraction that destroys forests and consumes energy.
But isn't this the exact same argument used by the plastics industry, that recycling is possible? Theoretical recycling is not the same as practically feasible recycling which is not the same as profitable recycling. Recycling of any material that is profitable doesn't need any type of government incentive or public relations campaign, either of which usually indicates non-profitability and therefore essentially non-existence.
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> The idea that e-waste is purely evil
Who is saying that?
> E-waste contains vast quantities of recoverable metals like gold copper and palladium, often at concentrations far higher than those found in natural ore. Properly processed, this waste becomes an urban mine reducing the need for new extraction that destroys forests and consumes energy.
Isn't that from more to a lot more expensive than ore extraction?
> The informal economies in Asia and Africa that dismantle electronics, while currently unsa
Brought to you by the N.S.S. research group (Score:5, Insightful)
This is so damn obvious that it's not funny.
Technology has been pushed into a rapid lifecycle through a combination of manufacturers insisting upon growth of their businesses, software support becoming nonexistent far too rapidly, and a marketing-push that one has to have the latest. It is further increased by the manufacture of low-end garbage electronics that doesn't last very long but is popular with many buyers because they're only looking at initial purchase price.
If you want to slow this down, compel software support for computers, phones, and other electronics for a mandatory extended period of time after final sale, and don't buy low-end garbage devices that you feel need replacement because they wear out so quickly (aka Terry Pratchett's Boots Theory [wikipedia.org]). Buy reasonably good products and skip the truly cheap stuff.
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Re:Brought to you by the N.S.S. research group (Score:4, Insightful)
The Boots theory is broken now too, you can now spend $500 on a pair of boots that fall apart in 6 months.
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well, yes, but that's always been the case.
But the inverse isn't generally true, a pair of boots that will last a lifetime aren't available for $80 in most cases.
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But they'll last forever and can be resoled as needed....
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Doesn't your country have any consumer protection laws?
In the UK the law is that things must last a "reasonable length of time". If you buy expensive and supposedly durable boots and they turn out not to be durable at all, you have legal redress. Additionally, faults that develop within the first 6 months of ownership are by default assumed to be manufacturing defects, unless the manufacturer can prove otherwise.
crap back and forth (Score:3, Insightful)
We request crap. It's made in Asia and when it breaks we send it back to Asia. They take it because we pay them to take it.
It's people paying to move crap around all the way down.
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Sounds like a problem tariffs can help solve.
But then drinkypoo would not have as many shiny new toys to smear his excrement all over, so Trump bad...
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You think the same item made domestically at the lowest profit margin is going to fare better in quality? Nobody forced anyone to buy cheap Chinese garbage. People want to spend as little as possible and China can manufacture it for as little as possible.
Now that our taxes have been collectively raised due to tariffs, where is that money going? Is it building any infrastructure or put towards healthcare?
Re:crap back and forth (Score:4, Insightful)
When that's all that is left available, we are forced by default. When there was still a choice many of us avoided Chinese sourced goods. But the throw away generation has won and here we are.
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Nobody forced anyone to buy cheap Chinese garbage When that's all that is left available, we are forced by default. When there was still a choice many of us avoided Chinese sourced goods. But the throw away generation has won and here we are.
Can't a person choose to just not buy the goods?
Re: crap back and forth (Score:3)
Yes, a person can choose not to participate in modern society and be at a disadvantage because they don't have the things everyone else has, or because they have to recreate them even more poorly.
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How about throwing away your perfectly good phone because it stopped getting security updates and now your bank apps don't work on it and your bank forces you to use them as the 2nd factor when logging in online? Hell, you can't even use Venmo properly without their app and you don't notice that until after you've already been using it. They don't let you update your profile details from their website. Well you can, but have you to confirm the change through their app else it won't take effect. Got a ne
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Most of the high end stuff comes from China too. Everything from designer handbags to overpriced hifi components to EV drivetrains.
Just because someone slapped a badge on it and a "made in USA" logo doesn't mean most of the work wasn't done in China or some other country from that region. That's literally all they do with a lot of this stuff - sew a brand logo on in Italy, do a final bit of software installation in the US.
If you want crap, try buying a British made car. Nissan do okay because they are Japan
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Yes sometimes taxes can alter consumer behavior. But most likely it just leads to consumers still buying but at inflated prices.
Interesting how Trump is bragging about how much money his taxes are bringing in, but never once mentions it's Americans who paid it.
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can I has a look into the dumpster before it gets shipped out? brb probably better stuff than I have now
I obtain a whole lot of my technology secondhand, with college surplus being one of my favorite vectors. If I have to buy new, I tend to buy high-end because I don't physically break my stuff and high-end will usually have the longest service-life. That is, if the software folks don't intentionally abandon it by refusing to support their software or to release new versions that run on the hardware.
Are devices being replaced faster? (Score:3)
With the incremental improvements in computers and phones slowing to a crawl, my impression is the opposite. In other words, I'm pretty sure people are holding on to devices longer before replacing them.
The Speed of Greed. (Score:2)
In other words, I'm pretty sure people are holding on to devices longer before replacing them.
(Microsoft) "Oh yeah? Hold my Win10 maintenance support and watch me make the largest wave of e-waste you've ever fucking seen."
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Many phone manufacturers are now offering updates for longer too. Longevity is definitely becoming a selling point.
Even the best of them only offer about 8 years of support though. To be fair to Microsoft, Windows 11 came out in 2021, and supports most machines up to about 6-7 years old, so they aren't really an outlier. It's just that people expect computers to last longer, which isn't unreasonable. Microsoft used to let you install newer Windows even if it wouldn't work right, so for example I had 10 on a
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With the incremental improvements in computers and phones slowing to a crawl, my impression is the opposite. In other words, I'm pretty sure people are holding on to devices longer before replacing them.
Ummm, Windows 10 was just retired a few days ago with Windows 11 forcing the discarding of millions of excellent computers. Are you sure you are living in the same reality as the rest of us?
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With the incremental improvements in computers and phones slowing to a crawl, my impression is the opposite. In other words, I'm pretty sure people are holding on to devices longer before replacing them.
Ummm, Windows 10 was just retired a few days ago with Windows 11 forcing the discarding of millions of excellent computers. Are you sure you are living in the same reality as the rest of us?
There are many studies that show both phones and computers are being held for longer these days before replacement. That would seem to undermine the premise of TFA that the problem is getting worse.
What if engineers on a strong basic income (Score:2)
What if engineers on a strong basic income designed 3D printable things that had recyclability built-in from the start, instead of working for capitalist profit-seeking bosses maximizing cost, not engineering, efficiency?
Re:What if engineers on a strong basic income (Score:5, Informative)
What if engineers on a strong basic income designed 3D printable things that had recyclability built-in from the start, instead of working for capitalist profit-seeking bosses maximizing cost, not engineering, efficiency?
This model brings you the glorious Trabant, practically unchanged over it's 25 year lifespan.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
My friend's family had one in Romania. When going up a hill, he passengers would have to get out, as it didn't have enough horsepower to climb anything but a shallow grade. Production numbers were low, and the waitlist stretched for years, as the workers got paid the same if they made 10,000 cars or 50,000 cars per year. They never made any improvements or fixed any bugs because, again, they got paid the same no matter what they produced.
They were easy to work on as they had no features or powered anything, and a strong person could pull the motor out with their bare hands. It was terrible in every other respect. Cramped, uncomfortable, unreliable, underpowered, and handled poorly.
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I just got to my second Starbucks this morning on my e-bike. I use it to go to the gym, *bux, etc., usually 3 mile trips each way. It's ok, though I do risk harm with cars thinking I've usurped their space in the bike lane.
I take advantage of that to leave my Prius in the driveway, which Prius I bought to conserve on fuel use and downsize the vehicle a little.
Not because I'm noble. but because I do not need more. And focusing on need, not want, is not noble either. It's just responsible. I've never bought a
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They never made any improvements or fixed any bugs because, again, they got paid the same no matter what they produced.
That is literally how all cars are made... They aren't commissioned and paid on a per vehicle basis... I honestly have no idea what point you think you were trying to make but you failed spectacularly at making it.
Also your own history page shows quite significant changes and improvements to the car over the years, which directly contradicts what you thought you were saying.
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find a universal replacement for FR4 that has similar properties but isn't made of epoxy-impregnated fiberglass.
From a biological perspective I feel like epoxy impregnated fiberglass should have children kind of like polycarbonate or PEEK. Are they recyclable?
(/immature humor)
Recycling is mostly a farce (Score:4, Insightful)
We've all been getting this BS recycling thing pushed on us for decades. I'm not saying nothing is happening, but its in very few places and very few things that are actually getting recycled. And, surprise, it's the easy stuff. We're just trucking and shipping the rest around for no good reason (but people sure are making money off of it!).
Real recycling programs are difficult (for the processors and the consumers) and expensive. SF is (or at least was) a good example of what a more meaningful recycling program looks like, but even they can't do much of anything with most of the plastics and e waste other than shit it off to someone who pinky swears it's getting responsibly taken care of.
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Paper and cardboard batches are routinely thrown out because of greasy food containers.........
This is kind of urban legend stuff, my own local waste collection department had to put out a notice and a video where they affirmatively said that yes you can and should recycle your greasy pizza and other paper goods, it all goes in the pulping machine and shredded down anyways. The recycle rate on all paper goods is close to 70% and in EU it's closer to 80%.
Paper, metals and glass are all profitable to be recycled which is why it happens. Plastics and e-waste are and have been the primary recycling scam
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Ability? If you are recycling paper the process is pretty standardized.
It is also in their interest to make you think this is all working properly when it's not.
Oh, we've managed to conspiracize my local town waste management department. They're part of the deep state now. They specifically say they don't take foil or pie tins but I suppose the greasy paper lobbyists paid them to say that.
Start tax-clapping that virgin. Hard and fast. (Score:2)
The real indicator, is the utter lack of recycled material making it back up the consumer chain and into products a second and third time.
Long past due to start taxing the ever-living fuck out of virgin plastic. Start at 10,000%, with perhaps some limited exceptions for necessary medical use. Plastic bags at the grocery store being a $5 burden on every purchase alone should quickly absolve the planet of another 12-foot wave of that shit washing ashore by next week, and get spoiled humans remembering wha
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There's no reason to tax more than the cost and overhead of doing the appropriate environmental remediation to bring the net harm to zero. Then do the remediation, of course.
Interesting (Score:1)
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Metals, glass, and paper are all highly recyclable. Difficult and expensive, sure. So is growing food, and sewage treatment. That doesn't mean we stop caring about what we eat and where we shit.
Asian governments (Score:3)
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Rare Earth Minerals (Score:2)
Ewaste has high concentrations of rare earth minerals (higher than "natural" ores)
There should be profit in recycling these... or is is cheaper to just buy from the Chinese.
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Yes, this.
Return to sender. (Score:2)
Stop with the planned obsolescence (Score:2)
Apple, Android and Windows OS should get security updates longer term. 15 years?
Keep-it-simple home appliances. The more features, the more things that can go wrong. My fridge doesn't need to be network connected.
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Apple, Android and Windows OS should get security updates longer term. 15 years?
Keep-it-simple home appliances. The more features, the more things that can go wrong. My fridge doesn't need to be network connected.
I'd be willing to settle for OS support and updates for five years after last sale of a given rev. Microsoft stopped selling Windows 10 on January 31st 2023. I would insist on support through January 31st 2028 in this model.
Ideally I would like to see it go even longer than that.
With Windows 11... (Score:2)
With Windows 11, there will be much more being added. If people where smart they would upgrade to Linux or a BSD and save the $ they would spend on a new device.
My main device is a Thinkpad W541, released in 2015. It is as fast as just about any newer Laptop. There is no real reason to buy new unless your device has a CPU board issue. Or maybe you need a better GPU for graphics. In that case maybe a desktop would be better so you can replace the GPU easily.
Is this a repeat? (Score:3)
I swear I saw this same story back in 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, ...2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023,2024, 2025, and probably next year too.
'being shipped to' is interesting language (Score:2)
"Millions of tons of discarded electronics from the United States are being shipped overseas"
Let's be clear: nobody is simply loading up containers with e-waste and blind-shipping them into "Asia" as if unto the void.
1) Someone has e-waste that needs to be disposed.
2) It costs to dispose in the US, so some vendor in Asia is offering to dispose for less than (US costs MINUS shipping costs which are quite low westbound APAC). Or they're even offering to buy it.
3) profit
Blaming - as I think is implied - US ve
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Why shouldn't American companies ship to vendors like that? What responsibility do they have to 'ensure' their vendors are dealing with it responsibly?
Should they also tell them not to run with scissors or swim after eating?
Largest e-waste creator is China (Score:2)
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Now if the USA would do they same....
Returned to the source (Score:1)
My guess is most of the electronics were produced in Asia.
I don't see any issue with them being returned to Asia at EOL.
Double so if Asia is willingly accepting the stuff and being paid to deal with it.
Take it to Hawaii (Score:3)