Evaluation

Although it was difficult to gain information for primary research due to the pandemic, the primary research showed that people do acknowledge E-Waste as a problem and take steps to solve the problem even if they haven't heard of major recycling companies. Speaking to people that specialized in E-Waste and electronics was helpful when it came to gathering good quality information. Getting information from the source showed that E-Waste is managed well in the studied areas, and that people are aware of the importance of recycling. Although E-Waste is received on a very large scale, it is good that the facilities are ensuring it gets recycled. This is good, as it indicates that E-Waste facilities are being used and people are aware of the importance of recycling. 

It is also good that phone repair shops are still in business, as it means that more people are aware of the importance of repairing their devices. Going to a phone repair shop was important as phone technicians would have a good understanding as to why people treat their devices the way they do. 

From the research conducted, it is clear that people in Roseville and Thornleigh both know how to manage and reduce E-Waste. This project had techniques that were very useful for gathering information, however, if there was more time to do the project with respect to the pandemic, the task could be even more detailed.

Special thanks

Special thanks to:

• The technician at Chatswood who provided some very valuable information 
• The head of IT at school
• All the students who participated in my survey
• Thornleigh Community Recycling Centre

Bibliography/Appendix (Secondary Research)

1. https://searchdatacenter.techtarget.com/definition/e-waste
2. https://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/Electronics/WhatIsEwaste/
3. https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/Campaigns/eWaste/What-is-ewaste
4. https://www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au/property/waste/recycling/community-recycling-centre
5. https://recyclingnearyou.com.au/facility/3044/HornsbyNSW
6. https://www.mobilemuster.com.au/recycling/
7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7zuMREQleI
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone_6
9. https://www.ifixit.com/Right-to-Repair/Recycling

Conclusion

From the research conducted, it appears that people do manage their E-Waste well, even if they haven't heard of any specific recycling companies. The people surveyed know that sending E-Waste to landfill is unacceptable, and typically choose to give away or recycle their old electronic devices. As for how the school manages E-Waste, the devices that still have value are sold, and the rest are recycled.

The recycling company said they received a large amount of material, which is good, as that means people are recycling their E-Waste, and said that this number would go down if people knew how to repair their products as well as take care of them. They also said that higher quality products will last longer.

The technician said that the main reason for phones breaking easily was because of the heavy use of glass to make phones more attractive, although this backfired due to glass being very fragile. Although phones can be repaired, he explained the main reason they get replaced was due to brainwashing on Apple's part. 

Planned obsolescence from the use of cheaper parts and fashionability of new devices is the main culprit for the E-Waste problem. However, this was not always the case. Take TVs for example. In the 50s and 60s, they were a serious investment and built to last. If they did break, you brought in a TV repair technician, not throw them away like we do now. Modern TVs are cheaply assembled, and are designed to break and be replaced by a better TV. Despite the fact that modern technology is designed to fail, recycling programs are much better now as they were back in the day. When your technological possessions finally did get damaged beyond repair, you would send them to a landfill, which is heavily frowned upon today.

In conclusion, the best way to reduce E-Waste will be to make devices from more durable materials, make repairability easier and increase the amount of recycling done.

Visiting a technician

The technician said that the best way to make electronics last longer was to avoid using glass. However, the main issue with this is people prefer to use glass backed phones for aesthetic reasons, despite them not being as functional unless wireless charging is used. Phones with a metal or plastic back would be more functional, but not as aesthetically pleasing. As for getting people to keep their devices for longer, he stated that not trusting what Apple says is important. Apple employees would just try to sell you new products, while small businesses would be more willing to help. Apple's ploys to encourage people to get new devices and to coax people out of getting them repaired is the leading reason people choose to buy new devices.

Thornleigh Community Recycling Centre

I was not able to get to the Recycling Centre due to COVID-19 restrictions, so it took a lot of work in order to get the necessary data. I called up the centre several times, and the one who answered always directed me to email the E-Waste Centre. This often resulted in nothing. However, I have finally received data!

The Centre receives a wide variety of material; mainly televisions, computers and peripherals; basically anything with a plug they receive. The Centre typically receives approx. 490kg of material per day; this waste is generated by households in the Hornsby Shire area.

E-Waste is produced because people choose to dispose of their devices rather than repair them, as well as manufacturers deliberately shortening product lifespans and targeting ads at consumers to convince them to buy the latest device. E-Waste sent there is taken to a facility in Sydney in which the materials are sorted into types and processed in order to recover materials. These materials are used to make new products. This reduces the need to mine for new materials. Typical Australian households produce 73kg of E-Waste each year.

Products could last longer if they were taken better care of by their owners; such as using a case and screen protector. My exceptional care means the majority of the phones currently residing in The iPhone Sanctuary are 5+ years old, with the oldest one being 12 years old. The phones at the sanctuary also get repaired when possible; if more people learnt phone repairs, they would keep their devices for longer. Most of the phones are iPhones, which are high quality phones. High quality products are meant to last, and renting is better than buying for a product that'll only be used sparingly.

The best devices for long term usage are ones that are easily repairable by average people, such as the FairPhone.

They sold THAT many iPhones?!

Apple has recently introduced the new iPhone SE, dubbed the SE2. Considering that the world is in lockdown due to COVID-19, it's unusual that Apple is releasing a new iPhone. But more importantly, the release of a new iPhone will lead to the growing E-Waste problem. Over the lifespan of the iPhone 6 and 6+, which was the best selling iPhone to date, 220 million units were sold (Wikipedia, last updated 2020). This means that 220 million older phones became E-Waste or relegated to a drawer, and most of those 220 million iPhone 6 and 6+ units are soon to be, if not already, in that same position.
Recycling phones is not as environmentally friendly as it's cracked up to be; material recovered from old devices are inferior to virgin materials, and the recycling process itself requires a lot of energy. In some cases, the devices in question are sent to 3rd world countries to be recycled, and this contributes a lot of toxins to the atmosphere, as well as being a health concern for the humans (iFixit, year unknown). In fact, MobileMuster states on its website that the best thing that can be done to reduce E-Waste is to keep the devices alive for as long as possible, and only recycling the devices that are damaged beyond repair (MobileMuster, 2020).

In response to this, the The iPhone Sanctuary was set up by the blog's author. The sanctuary ensures that phones that are unwanted or unprofitable to their former owners can end up somewhere other than a shredder at a recycling facility. So far, 21 devices live at The iPhone Sanctuary, with the oldest device, Tiffany Myra iPhone 3G, being 12 years old! This shows that Apple products are the best devices for long term usage. Not only do they last the longest, but Apple also has the longest support for their devices, being 6-7 years since the device's initial release.

The best way that people can be encouraged to keep their devices for longer is by slowing down the rate at which new devices are released. The root cause of the E-Waste problem is that people are tempted by the new features of a new device that makes older devices look obsolete in comparison. If companies only released devices every 2 years, then people would save money as well as the environment as they would keep their devices for longer, and only get a new device when the current one becomes damaged beyond repair.

1. https://www.mobilemuster.com.au/recycling/
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone_6
3. https://www.ifixit.com/Right-to-Repair/Recycling