Been helping my mother clean out the basement of her house…we had some old equipment so we decided to get rid of it and took it to the ‘tech recycling’ place…needless to say I was shocked by the amount of outdated technology that was there…we really do live in a throwaway society and this is one of the best examples of it that I have ever seen.
..it is good to get rid of TV’s but replace them with books not new flat screen’s!
ShimFarm
January 13, 2013 at 11:13 am
It’s sad, isn’t it? I think most of that stuff at recycling centres is going to end up in landfills anyhow. It’s really labour intensive, separating all of the useful components from boards, for example. In Quebec we now need to pay a disposal fee on new TV’s and laptops, for example. We’re so far behind in regulations (i.e. REACH compliance, WEEE and RoHs directives) that we’re going to be paying the price for our rampant consumerism for a long, long time. Don’t think much will change over the next few decades, unfortunately.
What busts my chops are people who don’t even try and take advantage of recycling programs. I don’t believe the system is perfect, but at least we try and reduce, reuse and recycle.
James Mackenzie
January 13, 2013 at 8:52 pm
i have seen so much of this in my years working in IT… rooms full of computers that work, but just aren’t up to scratch… i would find old pcs in the garbage and fix them up for people with little cash… but it is a drop in the bucket… mobile devices are the worst – 18 month lifespan at best
there is a reason the y don’t build ‘em like the used to.. no profit in it – le sigh..
on a lighter note – HAPPY MEW YEAR BUDDY!!!