UK electrical waste mountain growing
Discussion
UK electrical waste mountain growing
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-534...
UK households and businesses produce 1.45 million tonnes of electrical waste each year, research shows.
The e-waste research organisation Material Focus calculates that at least 500,000 tonnes of the waste were thrown away, stolen or hoarded.
Its latest study suggests un-recycled household electricals cost the UK over £370m a year in lost materials like gold, copper, aluminium and steel.
This is important because mining the metals leads to pollution.
It also harms wildlife and fuels climate change.
Material Focus has a postcode locator for people to find their nearest e-waste recycling point for items such as toasters and old cables......continues
Yet still, the government's action on this, and recycling of much more, is a rather pathetic effort. Just had my 4/5th ? recycling change through my letterbox. Appalled how much still can't be re-cycled, and goes into landfill.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-534...
UK households and businesses produce 1.45 million tonnes of electrical waste each year, research shows.
The e-waste research organisation Material Focus calculates that at least 500,000 tonnes of the waste were thrown away, stolen or hoarded.
Its latest study suggests un-recycled household electricals cost the UK over £370m a year in lost materials like gold, copper, aluminium and steel.
This is important because mining the metals leads to pollution.
It also harms wildlife and fuels climate change.
Material Focus has a postcode locator for people to find their nearest e-waste recycling point for items such as toasters and old cables......continues
Yet still, the government's action on this, and recycling of much more, is a rather pathetic effort. Just had my 4/5th ? recycling change through my letterbox. Appalled how much still can't be re-cycled, and goes into landfill.
Not much recycling actually happens in country though does it? We ship most of it overseas where we then pretend it is being recycled when in fact it is being burnt somewhere.
https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/18564766.uk-rec...
If we were being really responsible as a nation we would establish a proper recycling industry here. Recycling e-waste must be a particularly difficult proposition though. I can't even imagine how you would separate out all the different materials that make up a mobile phone.
https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/18564766.uk-rec...
If we were being really responsible as a nation we would establish a proper recycling industry here. Recycling e-waste must be a particularly difficult proposition though. I can't even imagine how you would separate out all the different materials that make up a mobile phone.
Imagine if we could actually do some of this work ourselves.
say in an old steel works - with a local population looking for jobs.
I think we need to develop more self-reliance and self-fulfilment. Not because want to isolate ourselves as an island nation, but because we can ) feed ourselves and b) look after the crap we import (or occasionally produce, in-country).
We have the work force, we have the ability, I am sure (if we dig deep enough, we even have the money [pension fund investment] for example).
We just often seem to lack the will - we should become a leader, not only in proposed new R&D initiatives, but in doing what we know to be right economically, ecologically and consciously.
say in an old steel works - with a local population looking for jobs.
I think we need to develop more self-reliance and self-fulfilment. Not because want to isolate ourselves as an island nation, but because we can ) feed ourselves and b) look after the crap we import (or occasionally produce, in-country).
We have the work force, we have the ability, I am sure (if we dig deep enough, we even have the money [pension fund investment] for example).
We just often seem to lack the will - we should become a leader, not only in proposed new R&D initiatives, but in doing what we know to be right economically, ecologically and consciously.
PeteinSQ said:
Not much recycling actually happens in country though does it? We ship most of it overseas where we then pretend it is being recycled when in fact it is being burnt somewhere.
https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/18564766.uk-rec...
If we were being really responsible as a nation we would establish a proper recycling industry here. Recycling e-waste must be a particularly difficult proposition though. I can't even imagine how you would separate out all the different materials that make up a mobile phone.
How about a return to the manufacturer system? All automotive plastic bits for at least the last 10yrs have a recycle code on the back to enable this.https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/18564766.uk-rec...
If we were being really responsible as a nation we would establish a proper recycling industry here. Recycling e-waste must be a particularly difficult proposition though. I can't even imagine how you would separate out all the different materials that make up a mobile phone.
robinessex said:
PeteinSQ said:
Not much recycling actually happens in country though does it? We ship most of it overseas where we then pretend it is being recycled when in fact it is being burnt somewhere.
https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/18564766.uk-rec...
If we were being really responsible as a nation we would establish a proper recycling industry here. Recycling e-waste must be a particularly difficult proposition though. I can't even imagine how you would separate out all the different materials that make up a mobile phone.
How about a return to the manufacturer system? All automotive plastic bits for at least the last 10yrs have a recycle code on the back to enable this.https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/18564766.uk-rec...
If we were being really responsible as a nation we would establish a proper recycling industry here. Recycling e-waste must be a particularly difficult proposition though. I can't even imagine how you would separate out all the different materials that make up a mobile phone.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/regulations-waste-elec...
we used to do lots of electronics recycling here, there was a place I taken my old pcbsand got money for them and they did all the processing locally and recovered all the gold, lead etc and I got paid for the waste. but they were constantly bombarded with regulation after regulation to the point where it became unprofitable and now it all goes to china.
There’s a lot of electrical waste that is generated by firmware issues /upgrades that should be legislated against.
It’s not breakdowns that kill things these days it’s programmed obsolescence.
Sonos have justifiably come under attack for bricking working components as part of an upgrade program
Google killed off a home hub system (nest??) after they acquired it and forced owners to buy their new system to retain the features.
I’ve got a few Sony Blu-ray players gathering dust as they no longer play nicely with Amazon so I’ve had to buy something new to feed the av systems
I try to repurpose where I can and I do my research so tend to keep my kit for quite a long time- not always chasing the shiny shiny new gizmo unless it does something outstanding.
Anything “internet enabled” always runs the risk of being turned off by the manufacturer.
One idea might be to force Manufacturers to provide an open source firmware at end of life with no liability to them for use/misuse. Of course that’s not going to fly because MPs aren’t interested in detail- they’d rather enable a dealer to flog you a new “green” car with a £3k scrappage bung for your perfectly working old car all done in the name of the environment.
It’s not breakdowns that kill things these days it’s programmed obsolescence.
Sonos have justifiably come under attack for bricking working components as part of an upgrade program
Google killed off a home hub system (nest??) after they acquired it and forced owners to buy their new system to retain the features.
I’ve got a few Sony Blu-ray players gathering dust as they no longer play nicely with Amazon so I’ve had to buy something new to feed the av systems
I try to repurpose where I can and I do my research so tend to keep my kit for quite a long time- not always chasing the shiny shiny new gizmo unless it does something outstanding.
Anything “internet enabled” always runs the risk of being turned off by the manufacturer.
One idea might be to force Manufacturers to provide an open source firmware at end of life with no liability to them for use/misuse. Of course that’s not going to fly because MPs aren’t interested in detail- they’d rather enable a dealer to flog you a new “green” car with a £3k scrappage bung for your perfectly working old car all done in the name of the environment.
Back in the last days of the tin mining here in Cornwall one of the local mines found it was more cost effective to receive electrical waste in, grind it up in the huge ball mills and they sent the gritty dust over the many wet shaker tables.
That separated the metals and everything else very well.
That separated the metals and everything else very well.
This is something that will only get worse as the years go on. Mexico recently passed a law making 3rd party repair/home tinkering illegal and lobby groups representing major tech firms at hearings in the US regarding this sort of stuff are constantly using the protecting user data line to justifty more and more legistlation preventing 3rd party repair.
Mexico law https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJvk8uFZbSM
US right to repair https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd3Qa9tlA3o Also search Louis Rossman right to repair on youtube for more examples.
Mexico law https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJvk8uFZbSM
US right to repair https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd3Qa9tlA3o Also search Louis Rossman right to repair on youtube for more examples.
PeteinSQ said:
Not much recycling actually happens in country though does it? We ship most of it overseas where we then pretend it is being recycled when in fact it is being burnt somewhere.
https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/18564766.uk-rec...
If we were being really responsible as a nation we would establish a proper recycling industry here. Recycling e-waste must be a particularly difficult proposition though. I can't even imagine how you would separate out all the different materials that make up a mobile phone.
There was a documentary about this, a few years back.https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/18564766.uk-rec...
If we were being really responsible as a nation we would establish a proper recycling industry here. Recycling e-waste must be a particularly difficult proposition though. I can't even imagine how you would separate out all the different materials that make up a mobile phone.
There was one recycle company at a port where all recycle gets taken to. It was paid a subsidy based on the NET recycled waste (after filtering out the non-recyclable element). It was competing against companies which sent the waste abroad - they got paid subsidy based on GROSS recycled waste.
Lo and behold, the recycling company went out of business and only the ones that ship it out, made money.
Gove was interviewed about this when he was Envronmental Secretary back then. His answer was yes we know about this issue and we are working on it. And here we are now and the problem hasn't gone away.
kwaka jack said:
US right to repair https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd3Qa9tlA3o
There's an EU right to repair regulation that come in next year for domestic appliances.I bought an HP colour laserjet recently and have discovered that it's cheaper, a lot cheaper, to buy a new one than buy a set of toner cartridges - even compatible carts. I knew this happened with inkjets, but they often come with demo cartridges. The laserjet's just seem to be standard capacity.
Miserablegi said:
Anything “internet enabled” always runs the risk of being turned off by the manufacturer.
Indeed - internet enabled today and internet disabled in three years time.Right now it’s only consumer gadgets - but it will become more widespread. If you rebuild a salvaged Tesla they disable supercharging - which essentially renders it useless.
Sheepshanks said:
There's an EU right to repair law that come in next year for domestic appliances.
I bought an HP colour laserjet recently and have discovered that it's cheaper, a lot cheaper, to buy a new one than buy a set of toner cartridges - even compatible carts. I knew this happened with inkjets, but they often come with demo cartridges. The laserjet's just seem to be standard capacity.
It's because their entire model is predicated on giving the you device cheap and then raking it in with the 'liquid gold' cartridges down the line - it's why so much effort goes into stopping compatibles working (microchips on carts etc).I bought an HP colour laserjet recently and have discovered that it's cheaper, a lot cheaper, to buy a new one than buy a set of toner cartridges - even compatible carts. I knew this happened with inkjets, but they often come with demo cartridges. The laserjet's just seem to be standard capacity.
Products don’t wear out they are just made obsolete.
I’m on my 3rd AV Reciever in 18 years. The one now was 4k pass-through from like 2012. Now though it doesn’t actually pass-through 4k with the tv.
Still using optical connections. Original PS4 has optical, Newer slim model doesn't,t PS5 won’t have optical so again product will become obsolete.
As a device i’m still using 5.1 as I did 18 years ago.
I’m on my 3rd AV Reciever in 18 years. The one now was 4k pass-through from like 2012. Now though it doesn’t actually pass-through 4k with the tv.
Still using optical connections. Original PS4 has optical, Newer slim model doesn't,t PS5 won’t have optical so again product will become obsolete.
As a device i’m still using 5.1 as I did 18 years ago.
Funk said:
It's because their entire model is predicated on giving the you device cheap and then raking it in with the 'liquid gold' cartridges down the line - it's why so much effort goes into stopping compatibles working (microchips on carts etc).
Sure - I know why they do it. But the difference is insane - the printer can be had (with rebate) for £250. Genuine carts (same size) are £400ish. Even compatibles are £300. I suppose their only hope is people buy one at a time so don't notice.
I did read ~6mths ago that HP were going to switch the pricing around, but there's no sign of it.
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