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Apples and Berrys: The Precursors to the Sudden E-Waste Surge

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Megan Cunningham
Megan Cunningham

The document discusses how the rise of Apple products like the iPhone and the fall of Blackberry phones from RIM have both contributed to an increase in electronic waste (e-waste) in landfills. E-waste produces hazardous chemicals from components that can leak into the environment. While selling used phones on eBay is tempting, taking old electronics to e-recycling centers is better for the environment since they dispose of unusable parts carefully according to green standards and refurbish devices for resale.

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Apples and Berrys: The Precursors to the Sudden E-Waste Surge Source: TechnoGoBlog http://technogoblog.wordpress.com/2012/06/28/apples-and-berrys-the-precursors-to- the-sudden-e-waste-surge/
Last month¡¯s BlackBerry World 2012 convention gave me renewed hope for Research In Motion to finally pick itself up, dust itself off, and get back in the smartphone game. They gave a rather satisfactory presentation of the BlackBerry 10, which they are touting as their saving grace from their nearing demise. RIM CEO, Thorsten Heins reiterates again and again how the company has spent buckets of blood, sweat and tears to ensure that the BB 10 gets to do just that. And the mobile OS certainly showed all the hard work invested in it, putting RIM back into fighting form, and making all the consumers who were ready to sell used BlackBerrys do a double take. At least, that was until Apple unveiled their iOS 6 at the recently concluded World Wide Developers Convention (WWDC) 2012. Their product showed that portable gadget functionality can indeed go beyond the physical limitations of the gadgets, if the demos for the Maps app and the new and improved Siri are anything to go by. The iOS 6 leaves no room for doubt that the future promised by countless movies and TV shows is getting closer and closer, consequently leaving competitors (RIM among them) in the dust. If there was ever any reason to trade BlackBerry for iPhone, this is it. There is, however, another aftereffect brought about by both Apple¡¯s impressive increase in sales and RIM¡¯s increasingly spectacular fall: The accumulation of electronic waste in landfills. Electronic waste (or e-waste), while seemingly no different from other types of pollution, is actually more dangerous to human health and the environment than most people think. This is because aside from the amassing of discarded plastics and silicon (both already notoriously difficult to recycle in their own right), e-waste also produces bio-hazardous chemicals like lead, cadmium, and beryllium which can leak from batteries, capacitors, and other electronic components. It is this two-pronged attack (both solid and chemical wastes) on the environment that has given the government more than enough cause for concern to develop a specific countermeasure to the problem. That solution is e-recycling. E-recycling has three major elements to it that give it its designated status. The first element is that it fully refurbishes old and used gadgets to make them as good as new. The second is that, being essentially second hand, these gadgets are sold at significantly lower price points. This element goes hand in hand with the first in that they make e-recycled devices those much more attractive to budget-conscious buyers. Finally, the third and most important element is that the disposing of unusable parts is handled with the utmost care and concern for the environment, doing away with these parts under strictest compliance to green standards. These three elements combined Source: TechnoGoBlog http://technogoblog.wordpress.com/2012/06/28/apples-and-berrys-the-precursors-to- the-sudden-e-waste-surge/
ensure that the threat of e-waste is impeded for as long as possible, until a better solution can one day be formulated. Being the easier option, I know how tempting it is to just log in on eBay and sell old BlackBerrys there. However, for all our sakes, why don¡¯t you just head on over to the nearest e-recycling center and sell your gadget there? You¡¯ll be glad you did. Posted by Megan Cunninghamin Recycling Tagged: cash for berry, sell blackberry, sell blackberry 8310, sell blackberry 8330, sell blackberry bold 9000, sell blackberry bold 9650, sell blackberry bold 9700, sell blackberry curve 8330, sell blackberry curve 8530, sell blackberry storm 2, sell blackberry torch, sell blackberry tour, sell old blackberry, sell used blackberry, sell your blackberry, selling blackberry, trade blackberry for iphone, trade in blackberry, trade in blackberry for iphone, used blackberry Source: TechnoGoBlog http://technogoblog.wordpress.com/2012/06/28/apples-and-berrys-the-precursors-to- the-sudden-e-waste-surge/

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Apples and Berrys: The Precursors to the Sudden E-Waste Surge

  • 1. Apples and Berrys: The Precursors to the Sudden E-Waste Surge Source: TechnoGoBlog http://technogoblog.wordpress.com/2012/06/28/apples-and-berrys-the-precursors-to- the-sudden-e-waste-surge/
  • 2. Last month¡¯s BlackBerry World 2012 convention gave me renewed hope for Research In Motion to finally pick itself up, dust itself off, and get back in the smartphone game. They gave a rather satisfactory presentation of the BlackBerry 10, which they are touting as their saving grace from their nearing demise. RIM CEO, Thorsten Heins reiterates again and again how the company has spent buckets of blood, sweat and tears to ensure that the BB 10 gets to do just that. And the mobile OS certainly showed all the hard work invested in it, putting RIM back into fighting form, and making all the consumers who were ready to sell used BlackBerrys do a double take. At least, that was until Apple unveiled their iOS 6 at the recently concluded World Wide Developers Convention (WWDC) 2012. Their product showed that portable gadget functionality can indeed go beyond the physical limitations of the gadgets, if the demos for the Maps app and the new and improved Siri are anything to go by. The iOS 6 leaves no room for doubt that the future promised by countless movies and TV shows is getting closer and closer, consequently leaving competitors (RIM among them) in the dust. If there was ever any reason to trade BlackBerry for iPhone, this is it. There is, however, another aftereffect brought about by both Apple¡¯s impressive increase in sales and RIM¡¯s increasingly spectacular fall: The accumulation of electronic waste in landfills. Electronic waste (or e-waste), while seemingly no different from other types of pollution, is actually more dangerous to human health and the environment than most people think. This is because aside from the amassing of discarded plastics and silicon (both already notoriously difficult to recycle in their own right), e-waste also produces bio-hazardous chemicals like lead, cadmium, and beryllium which can leak from batteries, capacitors, and other electronic components. It is this two-pronged attack (both solid and chemical wastes) on the environment that has given the government more than enough cause for concern to develop a specific countermeasure to the problem. That solution is e-recycling. E-recycling has three major elements to it that give it its designated status. The first element is that it fully refurbishes old and used gadgets to make them as good as new. The second is that, being essentially second hand, these gadgets are sold at significantly lower price points. This element goes hand in hand with the first in that they make e-recycled devices those much more attractive to budget-conscious buyers. Finally, the third and most important element is that the disposing of unusable parts is handled with the utmost care and concern for the environment, doing away with these parts under strictest compliance to green standards. These three elements combined Source: TechnoGoBlog http://technogoblog.wordpress.com/2012/06/28/apples-and-berrys-the-precursors-to- the-sudden-e-waste-surge/
  • 3. ensure that the threat of e-waste is impeded for as long as possible, until a better solution can one day be formulated. Being the easier option, I know how tempting it is to just log in on eBay and sell old BlackBerrys there. However, for all our sakes, why don¡¯t you just head on over to the nearest e-recycling center and sell your gadget there? You¡¯ll be glad you did. Posted by Megan Cunninghamin Recycling Tagged: cash for berry, sell blackberry, sell blackberry 8310, sell blackberry 8330, sell blackberry bold 9000, sell blackberry bold 9650, sell blackberry bold 9700, sell blackberry curve 8330, sell blackberry curve 8530, sell blackberry storm 2, sell blackberry torch, sell blackberry tour, sell old blackberry, sell used blackberry, sell your blackberry, selling blackberry, trade blackberry for iphone, trade in blackberry, trade in blackberry for iphone, used blackberry Source: TechnoGoBlog http://technogoblog.wordpress.com/2012/06/28/apples-and-berrys-the-precursors-to- the-sudden-e-waste-surge/