Purchasing pre-owned technology can save you a lot of money and also drastically reduces the greenhouse gas emissions produced over the life of a device. According to Apple's 2018 Environmental Responsibility Report, 77% of the carbon footprint of their electronics comes from manufacturing, versus the 17% that comes from actual use.
Of course, any product requires resources to produce, but electronic devices can be harmful to human and environmental health long after initial users dispose of them. In 2018, the world's population generated about 50 million metric tons of electronic waste--equal to the weight of 6,850 Eiffel Towers. Most of this could be reused or recycled, but the vast majority goes to landfills. Though we may sometimes forget about where our waste goes, electronic waste, in particular, is especially pernicious. Most e-waste is exported from countries like the United States and the UK to countries in the Global South, which cannot cope with the massive amounts of discarded devices being dumped. In electronic dumps such as in Accra, Ghana, workers wade through piles of waste and sort through it by hand to recover some of the materials. This type of hazardous work environment and toxic air pollution leads to respiratory illnesses and contaminated food sources. Similar issues such as child labor and life-threatening conditions involved in mining for rare metals like cobalt are rampant in the production of devices,
Electronics retailers also make us think that we need the newest version of their device to stay "up to trend" or to access the newest features. According to RESET, a platform sharing digital social and green innovations for sustainable development, "Over 60 percent of mobile phone sales are replacements for already-existing phones, 90 percent of which are still functioning when they are discarded. Consumers want newer, better, faster; and smartphone providers give it to them...phones are built to last just a few years, and updates are often designed to be incompatible with existing software." This phenomenon is also known as planned obsolescence.
We can counter the adverse effects of improper e-waste management by choosing secondhand technology when possible and recycling our devices responsibly!
The great news is--purchasing a secondhand device has never been easier. To get started, you can compare devices to find a make and model best for your needs. Then you can find a site that makes it easy to sell or trade in your used devices. Check out 6 Best Sites to Sell or Trade Used Electronics of 2021 for more. Best Buy and Amazon also have excellent sites with inspected, quality devices ranging from home/kitchen products to computers! For second-hand phones, smartwatches, and tablets, Trademore is a great resource. I used this site in January to buy a new-to-me smartphone for one quarter of the price of a new phone offered by AT&T! They have a 30-point inspection system and a 30-day return period, which allows one to find the best device available. (See a photo of my Android Galaxy S8 below.)
The heart of the issue--overconsumption--cannot be solved by recycling alone. Even in the US, only 25% of e-waste is actually recycled (the worldwide average is 15.5%). According to Forbes, "only the extension of the life of the devices currently in circulation, through their maintenance, refurbishment, and reuse in one form or another, can have a meaningful effect on their environmental impact. Fighting for ease of repair — led by organizations like repair.org, or developing innovations such as the Fairphone are important pieces of the puzzle."
If you're looking to responsibly recycle your devices, you can send them into Trademore or find an e-waste recycling center through CalRecycle.
Further reading:
Fairphone, a B Corporation, creates smartphones with responsible material sourcing and rigorous workers' welfare standards
Pela Case makes cases for phones and other devices that you can compost in your backyard!
My new-to-me Samsung Galaxy S8 was about $200. The AT&T options for new phones were $400-$900.
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