Here is where a lot of our “e-waste” ends up.
Its a difficult choice, have your computer “recycled” by these workers in china, or end up in a landfill here in the states. There are however good options. Find a responsible recycler in your state with this handy tool.
Excellent media! Will be using this as a resource as I start updating my own technology. However, what makes a computer obsolete? Is this more driven by advertisement or actual mechanics? With the computer minds that we have at our disposal here, I would be curious to know how one would actually go about designing a computer that would not become obsolete or at least drastically cut the current time between product turnover.
The reason why computers and other electronics become obsolete is because they are designed to. It is called planed obsolescence and is not only used in the electronics industry. Things are designed to only be good for a couple of years so that you will have to go out and buy a new one every five years. Hence the people that make these items make more money. If you could buy one car for say 100,000 dollars that would run for the rest of your life, you might be tempted to do so. But most people don’t have 100,000 dollars and most car companies would go out of business on that kind of model. There is also something to be said for the rapid development of new technology. The computer you buy today will seem like a calculator in 2 years because the computers coming out then will be amazing.
New computer technology opens up the doors for an array of potential life improving developments. If we really are married to the idea of a new computer ever 2-5 years then at least we can design these items for easier recycling. We could build these devices in such a way that when they are obsolete we could easily and environmentally recycle them. Its as simple as setting industry standards for how circuit boards are created. So far however it doesn’t seem as if the industry is all that interested in doing so.