Thoughtful Concerns/Comments/Punditry of E-waste

Mmmm, beige-y goodness!

In the present day, our society thrives on technology and getting your hands on the latest and greatest. There's no doubt about that, but when those "old and outdated" pieces of technology lose their luster, what are you supposed to do with it? Whether you throw it away, donate it or sell it, it all falls under the umbrella of electronic waste, or e-waste. Yes, it's still somewhat considered "waste" even if you're handing it off to someone else, while some schools of thought reserve the word waste for the stuff you can't ever reuse*. I tend to think more in the second school, seeing as how hand-me-down clothes aren't considered waste (at least aren't advertised that way).

Now I can't remember the last time I saw a computer like the one pictured to the left, but I'm sure some of it's parts went to good use! Surely the plastic could've been melted down to be used in something else, or the circuit boards could have been reused and updated somehow! It's odd to think that there could be a humongous pile of old computers, TV sets, and other various technological relics collecting dust somewhere, but there are.

I've been guilty of throwing away an old piece of technology in the garbage before. And I know you probably have too in your lifetime, and I'd like to see more people make changes. Just think about where it all goes. It's unfair to think that shipping all of our unwanted stuff goes to developing countries* for them to deal with. People need to own up and simply be more responsible.

There are plenty of options when it comes to recycling or reusing old technology. Here is how I personally plan to decrease my share of e-waste:

Making unnecessary upgrades
to your car since 2003! 

• When my current iPhone becomes obsolete, it shall become my new traveling iPod. It's main purpose will be to hold music and music alone (perhaps some videos too) to be played either in my car stereo or home stereo. 
• When my current Macbook kicks the bucket, I may go one of two routes. I could salvage as many parts as possible (hard drive, RAM, graphics card, etc.) and keep as just-in-case backups or use the hard drive as a stand alone external HD. Or I may dedicate that laptop as a specific purpose machine, perhaps to park it at my home office as a blogging only device, or as a machine where I hold and handle all my music. 
• My iPad shall find it's place on a mantle or side table, living it's life as a stationary digital picture frame. Or maybe as a strict drawing/sketching pad, or even a secondary monitor!
• As for the HDTV's, I'm kind of stuck. Maybe I can find a way to place my 24" TV inside my car (a la Pimp My Ride), or put it in the guest bedroom or workout room.

Captain Planet approves this message.

I find it rather interesting and quite honestly exciting thinking of possibilities of what to do with old technology. It seems like a gigantic waste of money to simply toss it in the trash when there's so many uses for it! And swallow your pride and actually recycle that old console TV; no one's going to judge you, and think, you're making it better for everyone else too.

Be well,


PS. Gizmodo has a great article on 5 things you can do with your old laptop here, some of which I've mentioned above.

*Electronic waste - wikipedia.com