Search Paul Stamets. He has proven results that doesn’t hurt the environment intact quite the opposite. I don’t know why his suggestions haven’t been taken more seriously.
Please do a video on "Right to Repair." Laws that guarantee customers the ability to actually fix their devices would ultimately rescue a huge percentage of the waste ending up where it's not supposed to.
Quite right about the idea of repairing your devices. Unfortunately in this "throw away society", the people with the skills (or interest) to fix stuff is disappearing. Worse still; once you determine what's wrong, you can't buy the spare part anyway. Sadly, the big manufacturers are not keen on repairing stuff, they'd rather you buy a new one.
@@headpox5817 Ineed, many goods are increasingly designed to be thrown away, many designs the further back you go were literally designed with repair in mind, then the disposable culture crept in, driven by insane insatiable greed and all with in built 'screw the environment & next generations to come' small print
Also consumerism culture where a lot of people have to get the new iPhone every year, I've been using the same smartphone Samsung Galaxy s4 for the last 7 years with a custom rom and it serves me fine. I wish it was a more common thing to do that
@@monke3231 i got a old samsung 'phablet' idk how to update or rig it so it works but the cam, screen everything is awesome...like 7 yrs old but i might get it goin someday :-)
There are attempts to make a lot of things 'smart' that have no need to be 'smart'. I need my refrigerator to keep things cold, not compile a grocery list for me.
If you don't have internet conected cutlery or bed sheets that can change colour with the flick of a switch you are living in the stone age! Buy now for just 999.99£ and get a special offer of an electric bottle opener for free! Don't live in the past, buy now!
I just want something that does it’s job and only it’s job! I don’t need smart shoes that are constantly connected to the internet, I don’t need a machine that needs to be connected to the internet to clobber a very specific packet of juice when human strength can just as easily do it with ANY packet of juice! That’s the thing with capitalism; it makes these things far more inefficient, milks as much money as it can out of it, and causes as much damage to the environment in the process
Glad to see you cover this, as an Accra resident. The soil in Agbogloshie is literally blackened with soot from burning e-waste, and some of the parts have actually dug in and fused with the ground over time. It's a serious health hazard for everyone living there, yet nothing has been done about it. I used to drive by it every day to basic school when I was a kid. Im 23 now and it's still there. Horrible stuff.
Always excellent, thank you again. I'll try to stay away from my usual "We're all doomed!" comment and confine myself to an observation: Here in the UK there was a time when we had "scrap yards", mostly for old cars but the principle extended to most "end of life" materials... if you wanted a part for your car or whatever you went to a scrapper to get the part you needed... ...it was great because: -It was cheaper -It kept old devices going rather than just buying new -It was a living for scrappers in countries where there are actually health & safety laws -Old things got stripped to near-nothing so there was much less stuff to be dumped -We had a culture of repair rather than replace ...and then we had a bunch of legislation touted to clear up the mess and get rid of all the "nasty" scrap yards. The result is all these benefits have gone, you can't find a used spare part so even if you are inclined to repair you have to buy new. Of course our culture has lurched to "everything is disposable" which in turn promotes chasing everything new and flashy regardless of need. Oh, and we produce more waste than ever and the "scrappers" live in countries where they have no protection. With my tin-foil hat in place I suspect this is exactly as intended - politicians get lobbied (bribed) by companies to enact legislation and as far as I can tell the only benefit it to the manufacturers of new goods. Having removed my tin-foil had I suspect such issues are worse than that - the vast majority of the people who run our countries are idiots. PS Sorry, I've gotten my "rant" on now: Some years ago the government of the day declared that plastic shopping bags are an environmental menace and so "free" shopping bags were banned. Good, eh? Um, No: -We now get to pay for the very same bags that were once "free". -You can, of course, buy for extra money "reusable" bags that have even more plastic in them. Rarely reused. ...and so the land-fills fill faster while this doesn't even address the real menace - every darn thing is sold in plastic packaging these days regardless of any need for plastic to be used. More considered legislation would have been a requirement for bags to be made of paper and a requirement for packaging to be free of plastic except where it's absolutely necessary... ...I despair.
Any updates on this initiative? presidency.gov.gh/index.php/briefing-room/news-style-2/800-e-waste-recycling-facility-to-be-constructed-in-agbogbloshie-president-akufo-addo
@@themeanestkitten There are some steps in-between but yeah that's the idea. I personally know multiple people that have been homeless that have bought houses. Not only is it possible it's not even uncommon. Moving is even easier. You simply make a compass, pick a direction, and then start walking until you get to a place less shitty.
I'm off topic but I'd like to apologize for the extremely ignorant and rude ppl who felt the need to troll your comment. I've been to Ghana and its beautiful. And it's a shame ppl poison it.
Or sent to China. Recycling is just throwing away trash mixed with imperialism and it will never ever work. The best way to get rid of plastic garbage is by incinerating it, filtering out the nasty byproducts like the toxic fumes, and using the energy it generates to power thousands of homes.
@@alexcrouse everything should be left to the government. Private companies should not exist or be EXTREMELY regulated. I don’t think it’s profitable for anyone at all so I think the best option would be to incinerate it, bury it underground just like how nuclear waste should be, or when we are capable of doing it, sent to the sun.
14:33 First of all, STOP throwing away your completely-functional-and-in-good-shape phone/tablet/electronic device right when the "next best thing!" appears in the market! STOP MINDLESSLY CONSUMING!
@cupoftestosterone And if we consuming like this then in a few decades the economy will collapse due to humans dying out from our stupid decisions and overconsumption. Pick your poison.
It’s NOT about all the people who trade up to get the newest phone. Anyone who owns an electronic device is part of the problem because eventually the device will be discarded. Time to figure out the best way to discard without endangering people/communities/ecosystems. Good topic, Joe. Thanks for enlightening us!
Last 14 years I've owned 3 cellphones, two tablets and one pc.. as long as it works I use it. I had to buy a new tablet supporting newest updates so I would be able to use youtube and watch Joe Scott talk about e-waste.
This is such a challenging problem, especially when you look at the problems with transparency in the final disposition of the devices. We need better solutions. Thanks for the great video!
I am looking forward to the future where it is economically feasible to mine trash dumps, on a large scale, for reusable metals, chemicals, and plastics. Imagine reclaiming that land and returning it to nature. Thanks for another great video, Joe.
I remember reading a book where resources were so scarce there were huge robots/machines doing exactly that, recycling trash. I don't remember name of the book, sadly. :( If I didn't mix up anything, there was also space elevator in there but was sabotaged, falling to earth and turning to diamond...
I agree. Lead in paint was a thing for a looooong time, and people sometimes would even eat paint chips, because lead apparently tastes sweet. Not to mention that america had huge amount of lobbying from the petroleum companies who were lobbying for lead in fuel.
Fluorides in water are also now demonstrated to reduce IQ by about 6 points. Not a lot but add in lead and you are talking about an average person becoming ESN.
That hopelessness you mentioned in the face of e-waste is the reason that a lot of people call me a computer components hoarder LOL I have a very hard time throwing away anything computer or electronics related specifically because I know that that will go somewhere that will lead to a massive amount of pollution and poisoning innocent people who work with the stuff in order to make a meager living to feed their families. Thank you for providing all those links for ways to dispose of them responsibly!
tigerkill420; here is a discussion of the quote attributed to Einstein by the famous psychologist Frederick Perls; skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/18140/did-einstein-say-two-things-are-infinite-the-universe-and-human-stupidity-and#18145 As stated in the discussion in stack exchange, according to wikiquote, the idea was also attributed to others going back to the 1880s.
My Dad worked for the electric company and he used to bring home scrap electric meters. He would take them apart and separate all of the brass, aluminum and the all important silver. He would bring it to a metal recycling center where it was bought by weight. It wasn't much but he made extra pocket money that way.
Skynet is real and the inventor basically branded it as the same thing from the movies... But good! 🙄 So if we’re lucky and get to Mars before Skynet starts terminating the human race, we can watch our old home get populated by Wall-E bots that’ll pick up our skeletal remains and demolish our cities in search of materials to build spaceships. Such a bright future....... For the robots.
@@KarryKarryKarry Only the rich will get off world. The Bilderberg group are already ahead of schedule and looking to get their alleged "space hotel" modules up in orbit *cough* Elysium "cough* Once Trillion companies like Apple get you all 100% addicted to their products, Bilderbergs Covid and "vaccine" project comes along and everyone is too busy rioting over statues of Julius Ceasar off they all will trot and let us burn like we mindless sheepie deserve.
I worked for an e waste company and we were part of the other side of goodwill's ewaste program. Not everything was refurbished, what we did was pack it in a shipping container and then block the view to the back with pallets of decent condition crt computer monitors. Until I saw this video, I never understood why the requested us to pack them like that. Once I heard _"they get around the ban by claiming the shipping container is new goods"_ I put it together. On a side note, I processed tons and tons of waste, was 3rd in command, hired workers with questionable origins, outsourced precious metal extraction, "destroyed data", took government contracts, and know how it works. ask me anything
Always LOVE your videos Joe. This is a scary episode about the e-waste, I love 3D printing and it really concerns me about the waste that is left behind. 3D printing is an up and coming process but we need to be careful of it not becoming like e-waste. Thanks for making us think Joe, as I said, I love your videos, keep them coming.
I thought the plastic from 3D printing could be melted back into printing filament? I know this only applies to some types of 3D printing, I'm not sure about UV Printers or ones that use different materials.
@@lyreparadox yes but the quality degrades. There are many different types of filaments, PLA being the most common en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polylactic_acid but there are all sorts like ABS and PET and so on. Different ones have different properties and some are quite toxic
A good and important one - I often teach my students about this other cost - the price of the materials that MAKE our electronics... and the other side of things. Thank you for a fabulous overview!
That video you did on plastics that had the turtle with the straw stuck in its nose made me cry and also kept me up that night with nightmares. And, of course, made me much more conscious of my use of plastics. Thank you for making it. And thank you for making this one because I want to be conscious of my use of anything that is hurting the planet.
In Finland every shop that sells batteries or electronics is required to take similar products to recycling. Within a reasonable limit, like couple of devices per visit to the store. There is also probably a limit on how big the store needs to be before they are required to do this. Also companies will take bigger loads of E-waste for free, and there are also city run places where you can take e-waste among other waste. I would think this applies for most of the EU.
We just need to appreciate how much work he puts into a video. He’s practically making multiple research papers a week and making a speech for them. The amount of research he puts in is insane.
binge watching Joe's videos for the zillionth time .... amazing thing is there is always something new to learn with each viewing ...Thanks Joe for such great effort
Thanks for the video, Joe. Well done. For all of you looking for options, I just heard of a cell phone company called Fairphone out of the Netherlands. Look 'em up. It's not the final solution, but it sure is better than the ones we've been given up 'til now. I'm a photographer and industrial designer who has struggled with the advancement of technology and subsequent waste over the last 25 years. And, exactly as Joe mentioned, when we have the faster processor, we don't get the benefit we were hoping for as software gets beefed up to use all of the advantages we tried to upgrade to. When we have the better sensor we'll have better pictures... Film had it's own issues with chemistry, but there were known ways - and arguably more sustainable ways to produce images or ideas. Apple has recently 'upgraded' my two year old iPhone to the latest software which has led to a drastic decrease in performance compared to what it could do yesterday. I'm tired of being told when to upgrade the hardware to balance a trillion dollar budget. I think my next phone will be a Fairphone out of principle.
this is the kind of videos where you shine, Joe. Thanks for doing that. I didn't knew about it. I learned something important and i will make sure i will recycle my electronics appropriately.
Great video Joe, with substantial research and homework. I was almost sad and depressed until the end of the video where you highlighted some good work being done in at least some places to actually make a difference.
Wow, Joe, great video. I had no idea it was this bad. Your videos should be shown in schools, company lunch rooms, carnivals and fairs, and anywhere there is a tv screen and a speaker. I believe you are right...awareness is the first step we as humans must take this, as well as many other issues SERIOUSLY! I hope it is not too late for us. 😟
It is only a little bit of waste going to China....it will all just magically go away come November...now where have i heard something similar Join the treaty you morons!
I had woken up about a week ago with one of Joe Scott’s videos playing, now this is my drug, a funny and summarised version of telling stories whilst still delivering knowledge. I want this man to have 1M subscribers soon ❤️
Hello Joe ... From Switzerland. Your channel is my #1 favorite (yes, I am subscribed). As usual, another great vid; thank you. While I am here, if I may, "Basel", the Swiss city, is pronounced "Baa-zil" and not "Bay-zil". No big deal, just wanted to throw that at you.
For a long time now, I've just been trying to use everything until it dies. My home theater receiver is 14 years old, my Sirius player is 11 years old. The list goes on and on. Also, all the electronics in new cars, and fully electric cars add a lot to this problem. We were probably better off when things were made to last.
I believe Tesla is developing a recycling system for their batteries. That's a start. In regards to everything else, I watched a documentary about a town in Japan that has virtually no waste. Everyone is required to separate all waste into like 40+ categories which makes everything easily reusable. Only problem is that people are lazy and won't do that unless they are forced to... MURICA!
@@fifthbeatle "death inspires me like a dog inspires a rabbit" Dread is a good motivator for me when I get too complacent or comfortable or when I get caught up in my own head.
Thank you so much Joe I didn’t know that this type of stuff was going on and that my electronics were going to a place where they wouldn’t be recycled properly. Thanks to you raising awareness I will be sending my electronics to responsible recycle plants and be donating them if they still work to credible places
@@scheve332 honestly the fear of lithium batteries is a bit overblown, they certainly can be dangerous in particular situations, but long dead cells are fairly benign in fact.
Agreed. If we just criminalized planned obsolescence and mandated a freely available official service manual with a 20-year minimum scope and sensible end-of-life procedures for all commercial products, it would seriously cut down on this issue. Realistically, it won't ever _completely_ go away before much better automated recycling/material processing is developed, and that could take a _long_ time. Might as well fix the low-hanging fruit quickly by going after anti-repair companies and organizations. Apple should NOT be trusted on any e-waste-related matters, no matter how many one-off PR stunt robots they build -- they're THE primary poster-child of anti-repair organizations. Apple products are contractually "must-shred" with so-called 'legitimate' recyclers -- Apple is so afraid of repair parts getting onto the market and fixing phones that would otherwise be replaced with newer models, that they launch a huge, expensive multi-pronged attack on the supply chains, both bribing and legally threatening recyclers to make them swear to destroy Apple products in order to prevent spare parts from escaping, controlling online discussion to prevent Apple product consumers from seeking repairs by banning anyone who mentions third-party repairs from their online services, harassing competing replacement part manufacturers and distributors through a variety of means, and lobbying aggressively for laws restricting third-party repairs and criminalizing possession of 'proprietary' repair tools and information. I have no words for how I hate them, but most companies are quietly following in their footsteps on at least some of those fronts.
I own a small eWaste Recycling Business. We have never shipped overseas. In fact it’s our promise to our clients. We are not a huge business and still make plenty of money. There is no excuse for shipping overseas. It’s just down right greed. We also never throw anything away so 100% is recycled. Also one of our promises. Thank you for this video and helping raise awareness. Need more people who care like you do.
Lol, fun to hear that, remembering that here you can't legally extract precious metals like gold from e-waste, you have to buy license to do that, which costs A LOT x)
"You might wanna grab a drink." I genuinely laughed at that one! (edit) OK, after finishing watching the video, this is both one of your funniest and most tragic in a while. A true emotional rollercoaster.
I collect and refurbish furbies, it was really neat to come across a video “in the wild” that mentioned them :) I try my best to clean up furbies and get them in working order again and find them a new home, it really pains me when people just throw them out or destroy them. Furbies are cool little creatures and are, in my opinion, the best companion robots human have created so far. It’s my dream to one day design my own companion robots, this video brought a whole lot of relevant information that can be used if that dream ever becomes a reality, Thank you!
Built in obsolescence on steroids....my brand new laptop will last only 3 weeks because the battery can no longer be changed. Absolute idiocy! Thanks Joe for highlighting the problem....
Smart isn't really the problem. They're all fairly smart to get to where they are. They're just also diabolically evil, putting money/power and re-election at any cost way above actually doing anything for the average citizen.
@@jkenny1 Not really you don't need to be smart to win popularity contests in fact it appears to be a disadvantage as much in politics as it was in school, guess people prefer hollow airheads they can project on more than people with real conviction of their own.
It would be interesting to see a requirement that manufacturers Have to have an end of life plan for their product; either Actual recyclers (like Apple's phones) or a contracted recyclers.
I watched a documentary about the kids that do this recycling. It's truly horrifying on so many levels. It's not just the toxic fumes and chemicals. They are badly abused by adults. Thanks for putting the video out I had no idea Apple was doing BuyBacks. I'll have to look into it.
Had no idea this was an issue but as someone who regularly repairs electronics im glad i know how to avoid the problem now and responsibly get rid of my e waste
Joe: 9 countries didn't sign the treaty Me: USA... USA... I know it's on that list... we sign NOTHING and even when we do, some asshole backs us out of it for literally no logical reason. Joe: Who would've thought Bioengineering may be part of the solution Me: *sigh* o/
I am a professional in the waste and recycling industry and it is nice to see more coverage on the subject.
What schooling did you get for your career? I’m looking to get into it.
I am a consumer and contributor to the waste and recycling industry and I like cookies.
I got a PhD in garbage
Ham 'Housekeeping' Sarris So a self study?
Search Paul Stamets. He has proven results that doesn’t hurt the environment intact quite the opposite. I don’t know why his suggestions haven’t been taken more seriously.
Please do a video on "Right to Repair." Laws that guarantee customers the ability to actually fix their devices would ultimately rescue a huge percentage of the waste ending up where it's not supposed to.
So true. I have not had a smartphone that's lasted more than 2 years, even with the best of care. I imagine that contributes to a lot of the waste.
Quite right about the idea of repairing your devices. Unfortunately in this "throw away society", the people with the skills (or interest) to fix stuff is disappearing. Worse still; once you determine what's wrong, you can't buy the spare part anyway. Sadly, the big manufacturers are not keen on repairing stuff, they'd rather you buy a new one.
@@deardarlingdollies5851 I believe it's called planned obsolescence.
@@Tom_Samad That's been going on for a long time, too many driven by greed
@@headpox5817 Ineed, many goods are increasingly designed to be thrown away, many designs the further back you go were literally designed with repair in mind, then the disposable culture crept in, driven by insane insatiable greed and all with in built 'screw the environment & next generations to come' small print
Always love what you create, always some balance of hope and despair.
I think despair is more important though...
@@fifthbeatle ok junko
A balance? There was no hope in this video.
@@millefune The tech itself is the hope since it makes life better, but the waste that it produces is the despair part.
@@millefune No? The Basel network, Apple making computers that pick materials out of older phones is pretty positive news if you ask me
e-waste would be much less of a problem if products werent built to either break or be replaced every year
Or just repairable at a cost which isn’t 80 percent of a new item. Just imagine how much waste could be saved and items used longer.
Also consumerism culture where a lot of people have to get the new iPhone every year, I've been using the same smartphone Samsung Galaxy s4 for the last 7 years with a custom rom and it serves me fine. I wish it was a more common thing to do that
That makes total sense... things used to be "built to last"-but not anymore...now its just "that will do"........and there in lies the problem.
@@monke3231 i got a old samsung 'phablet' idk how to update or rig it so it works but the cam, screen everything is awesome...like 7 yrs old but i might get it goin someday :-)
Europe is working on a law so that every device HAS to be built to last and you must be able to fix it instead of having to dump it
There are attempts to make a lot of things 'smart' that have no need to be 'smart'. I need my refrigerator to keep things cold, not compile a grocery list for me.
I know a couple old alcoholics that would *love* their fridge to resupply beer for them. Aaand party brats too.
If you don't have internet conected cutlery or bed sheets that can change colour with the flick of a switch you are living in the stone age! Buy now for just 999.99£ and get a special offer of an electric bottle opener for free!
Don't live in the past, buy now!
@@nunofoo8620 that part.
I just want something that does it’s job and only it’s job! I don’t need smart shoes that are constantly connected to the internet, I don’t need a machine that needs to be connected to the internet to clobber a very specific packet of juice when human strength can just as easily do it with ANY packet of juice! That’s the thing with capitalism; it makes these things far more inefficient, milks as much money as it can out of it, and causes as much damage to the environment in the process
Ikr!?
Glad to see you cover this, as an Accra resident. The soil in Agbogloshie is literally blackened with soot from burning e-waste, and some of the parts have actually dug in and fused with the ground over time. It's a serious health hazard for everyone living there, yet nothing has been done about it. I used to drive by it every day to basic school when I was a kid. Im 23 now and it's still there. Horrible stuff.
"this problem… is a problem" spitting facts like nobody's business
@donutdoode69 What is pfp?
Always excellent, thank you again.
I'll try to stay away from my usual "We're all doomed!" comment and confine myself to an observation:
Here in the UK there was a time when we had "scrap yards", mostly for old cars but the principle extended to most "end of life" materials... if you wanted a part for your car or whatever you went to a scrapper to get the part you needed...
...it was great because:
-It was cheaper
-It kept old devices going rather than just buying new
-It was a living for scrappers in countries where there are actually health & safety laws
-Old things got stripped to near-nothing so there was much less stuff to be dumped
-We had a culture of repair rather than replace
...and then we had a bunch of legislation touted to clear up the mess and get rid of all the "nasty" scrap yards. The result is all these benefits have gone, you can't find a used spare part so even if you are inclined to repair you have to buy new. Of course our culture has lurched to "everything is disposable" which in turn promotes chasing everything new and flashy regardless of need.
Oh, and we produce more waste than ever and the "scrappers" live in countries where they have no protection.
With my tin-foil hat in place I suspect this is exactly as intended - politicians get lobbied (bribed) by companies to enact legislation and as far as I can tell the only benefit it to the manufacturers of new goods. Having removed my tin-foil had I suspect such issues are worse than that - the vast majority of the people who run our countries are idiots.
PS
Sorry, I've gotten my "rant" on now:
Some years ago the government of the day declared that plastic shopping bags are an environmental menace and so "free" shopping bags were banned. Good, eh?
Um, No:
-We now get to pay for the very same bags that were once "free".
-You can, of course, buy for extra money "reusable" bags that have even more plastic in them. Rarely reused.
...and so the land-fills fill faster while this doesn't even address the real menace - every darn thing is sold in plastic packaging these days regardless of any need for plastic to be used.
More considered legislation would have been a requirement for bags to be made of paper and a requirement for packaging to be free of plastic except where it's absolutely necessary...
...I despair.
I'm from Ghana and I know this place. It's extremely toxic.
Any updates on this initiative? presidency.gov.gh/index.php/briefing-room/news-style-2/800-e-waste-recycling-facility-to-be-constructed-in-agbogbloshie-president-akufo-addo
Sucks to be from ghana lol. You should move.
@@Mavrck-it2kq "if you're homeless, just buy a house"
@@themeanestkitten There are some steps in-between but yeah that's the idea. I personally know multiple people that have been homeless that have bought houses. Not only is it possible it's not even uncommon. Moving is even easier. You simply make a compass, pick a direction, and then start walking until you get to a place less shitty.
I'm off topic but I'd like to apologize for the extremely ignorant and rude ppl who felt the need to troll your comment. I've been to Ghana and its beautiful. And it's a shame ppl poison it.
A huge amount of "recycling" in the USA just gets dumped in the landfill.
Or sent to China. Recycling is just throwing away trash mixed with imperialism and it will never ever work. The best way to get rid of plastic garbage is by incinerating it, filtering out the nasty byproducts like the toxic fumes, and using the energy it generates to power thousands of homes.
@@therealspeedwagon1451 a lot of things can be recycled effectively. But it's not profitable. It's a job for government.
@@alexcrouse everything should be left to the government. Private companies should not exist or be EXTREMELY regulated. I don’t think it’s profitable for anyone at all so I think the best option would be to incinerate it, bury it underground just like how nuclear waste should be, or when we are capable of doing it, sent to the sun.
Just what we need...more wasteful inefficient government boondoggle and another unconstitutional bureaucracy.
Superb video Joe, and great guidance for tangible collective action. Thank you for such a well balanced and pragmatic presentation.
14:33 First of all, STOP throwing away your completely-functional-and-in-good-shape phone/tablet/electronic device right when the "next best thing!" appears in the market!
STOP MINDLESSLY CONSUMING!
@cupoftestosterone And if we consuming like this then in a few decades the economy will collapse due to humans dying out from our stupid decisions and overconsumption. Pick your poison.
@cupoftestosterone if we dont, mr. Corporate cant buy his 13th mansion and 70th sportscar.
First of all, get off your high horse and stop pretending you're not part of the problem.
It’s NOT about all the people who trade up to get the newest phone. Anyone who owns an electronic device is part of the problem because eventually the device will be discarded. Time to figure out the best way to discard without endangering people/communities/ecosystems. Good topic, Joe. Thanks for enlightening us!
I don't. My phones literally break every chance they get, and as long as its still somewhat functional, I still use it.
Very helpful exposition of the issues, as always.
a day early?
You nicked my Nick name
How could it be a day old? It was posted half an hour ago?
@@Vale-nh6ey Are you a patron?
@@BagOCheetos Yes
Last 14 years I've owned 3 cellphones, two tablets and one pc.. as long as it works I use it. I had to buy a new tablet supporting newest updates so I would be able to use youtube and watch Joe Scott talk about e-waste.
Tom Scott: "Kids are monsters"
Joe Scott: "Kids are monsters"
HAHA YES. Within mere hours of each other too 😂
What did the kids do to them
@@bjnick9256 monstrosity
Great Scott: Parents make monsters
Chickadee Enginerding "Because People Are Monsters".
"This problem .....is a problem."
The enlightenment you gave with me with that statement.
This is such a challenging problem, especially when you look at the problems with transparency in the final disposition of the devices. We need better solutions. Thanks for the great video!
The more you know, the less you want to know... But we can't put our heads in the sand on this one or even the sand will be toxic.
and the whole 'head in the sand' idiom is also a bit moronic in the first place since ostriches don't actually do that.
“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”
― Confucius
Ironic how Confucius was Chinese
Reetica Sawhney he was a douch too,a smart one but a douch
@@omnirath Why douch?
@@papercrease7308 because healthy and beauty matter too?
The man who is drowned in bullshit started by listening to bullshit from Chinese philosophers
I’m so glad there are some companies addressing this huge issue. Thank you. Because I knew absolutely nothing about this.
I am looking forward to the future where it is economically feasible to mine trash dumps, on a large scale, for reusable metals, chemicals, and plastics. Imagine reclaiming that land and returning it to nature.
Thanks for another great video, Joe.
Craig Smith how can you comment on a video before it comes out?
I remember reading a book where resources were so scarce there were huge robots/machines doing exactly that, recycling trash. I don't remember name of the book, sadly. :( If I didn't mix up anything, there was also space elevator in there but was sabotaged, falling to earth and turning to diamond...
Found the book, it's Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, probably
@Craig Smith Is that the world of Mad Max we are definitely heading towards, when e-waste is the sole currency?
@@mbntr2363 Patreon
Thanks for talking about this issue, the footage of people recovering metals from electronics is awful, but necessary to see
5:36 "...heavy metals like lead, which can lower IQs among the population..."
That line alone can explain just so much already...
😯 😶 😒 💭
And that used to be part of gasoline and spewed out of every tailpipe...
And was used to solder water pipes, etc.
and then wrap them in asbestos insulation
I agree. Lead in paint was a thing for a looooong time, and people sometimes would even eat paint chips, because lead apparently tastes sweet.
Not to mention that america had huge amount of lobbying from the petroleum companies who were lobbying for lead in fuel.
Fluorides in water are also now demonstrated to reduce IQ by about 6 points. Not a lot but add in lead and you are talking about an average person becoming ESN.
That hopelessness you mentioned in the face of e-waste is the reason that a lot of people call me a computer components hoarder LOL I have a very hard time throwing away anything computer or electronics related specifically because I know that that will go somewhere that will lead to a massive amount of pollution and poisoning innocent people who work with the stuff in order to make a meager living to feed their families. Thank you for providing all those links for ways to dispose of them responsibly!
“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.”
― Albert Einstein
Orion Rodriguez “Chevrolet is better than ford.” - Albert Einstein
@Orion Rodriguez here is your source: www.goodreads.com/quotes/942-two-things-are-infinite-the-universe-and-human-stupidity-and
@@gordonlawrence1448 Thats a worse source then Wikipedia
tigerkill420; here is a discussion of the quote attributed to Einstein by the famous psychologist Frederick Perls; skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/18140/did-einstein-say-two-things-are-infinite-the-universe-and-human-stupidity-and#18145
As stated in the discussion in stack exchange, according to wikiquote, the idea was also attributed to others going back to the 1880s.
@@tigerkill420 99% of sources are worse than Wikipedia because it's no longer 2011 and Wikipedia articles are now peer reviewed by their very nature.
My Dad worked for the electric company and he used to bring home scrap electric meters. He would take them apart and separate all of the brass, aluminum and the all important silver. He would bring it to a metal recycling center where it was bought by weight. It wasn't much but he made extra pocket money that way.
Inspiring stuff. Reminds me of Wall-E, maybe we'll get some cute recycling robots?
I'm affraid Wall-E will only start it's duty after the horde of T-800 completely wiped out humanity from the surface of mother earth.
Skynet is real and the inventor basically branded it as the same thing from the movies... But good! 🙄
So if we’re lucky and get to Mars before Skynet starts terminating the human race, we can watch our old home get populated by Wall-E bots that’ll pick up our skeletal remains and demolish our cities in search of materials to build spaceships.
Such a bright future....... For the robots.
@@KarryKarryKarry Only the rich will get off world. The Bilderberg group are already ahead of schedule and looking to get their alleged "space hotel" modules up in orbit *cough* Elysium "cough* Once Trillion companies like Apple get you all 100% addicted to their products, Bilderbergs Covid and "vaccine" project comes along and everyone is too busy rioting over statues of Julius Ceasar off they all will trot and let us burn like we mindless sheepie deserve.
Yeah! Then we can make other bots to recycle Walles.
I worked for an e waste company and we were part of the other side of goodwill's ewaste program. Not everything was refurbished, what we did was pack it in a shipping container and then block the view to the back with pallets of decent condition crt computer monitors. Until I saw this video, I never understood why the requested us to pack them like that. Once I heard _"they get around the ban by claiming the shipping container is new goods"_ I put it together.
On a side note, I processed tons and tons of waste, was 3rd in command, hired workers with questionable origins, outsourced precious metal extraction, "destroyed data", took government contracts, and know how it works.
ask me anything
Always LOVE your videos Joe. This is a scary episode about the e-waste, I love 3D printing and it really concerns me about the waste that is left behind. 3D printing is an up and coming process but we need to be careful of it not becoming like e-waste. Thanks for making us think Joe, as I said, I love your videos, keep them coming.
I thought the plastic from 3D printing could be melted back into printing filament? I know this only applies to some types of 3D printing, I'm not sure about UV Printers or ones that use different materials.
@@lyreparadox yes but the quality degrades. There are many different types of filaments, PLA being the most common en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polylactic_acid but there are all sorts like ABS and PET and so on. Different ones have different properties and some are quite toxic
I freaking love this channel. Joe covers real stuff and approaches it in a funny but informative way. Always a joy to watch.
"Must be all our freedom" lol. Thanks for that gem
A good and important one - I often teach my students about this other cost - the price of the materials that MAKE our electronics... and the other side of things. Thank you for a fabulous overview!
"This problem...is a problem"
Well spoken words
That video you did on plastics that had the turtle with the straw stuck in its nose made me cry and also kept me up that night with nightmares. And, of course, made me much more conscious of my use of plastics. Thank you for making it. And thank you for making this one because I want to be conscious of my use of anything that is hurting the planet.
"You might want to grab a drink"
Me watching this 9am: yes sir! Vodka it is!
Alcohol is For Any Time
In Soviet Russia .....
Vodka drinks you!
In Finland every shop that sells batteries or electronics is required to take similar products to recycling. Within a reasonable limit, like couple of devices per visit to the store. There is also probably a limit on how big the store needs to be before they are required to do this. Also companies will take bigger loads of E-waste for free, and there are also city run places where you can take e-waste among other waste. I would think this applies for most of the EU.
We just need to appreciate how much work he puts into a video. He’s practically making multiple research papers a week and making a speech for them. The amount of research he puts in is insane.
Joe has underage minions in Ghana.
Just kidding!
binge watching Joe's videos for the zillionth time .... amazing thing is there is always something new to learn with each viewing ...Thanks Joe for such great effort
4:05 "They were the toilet paper of 1998" - Joe Scott, 2020
I still use my old furbies to wipe my ass.
That joke is so March 2020🙄
You think that if they put it on a stick it could be a hit once more?
I've got 2 sitting in my bedroom right now. Both work.
Thanks for the video, Joe. Well done. For all of you looking for options, I just heard of a cell phone company called Fairphone out of the Netherlands. Look 'em up. It's not the final solution, but it sure is better than the ones we've been given up 'til now.
I'm a photographer and industrial designer who has struggled with the advancement of technology and subsequent waste over the last 25 years. And, exactly as Joe mentioned, when we have the faster processor, we don't get the benefit we were hoping for as software gets beefed up to use all of the advantages we tried to upgrade to. When we have the better sensor we'll have better pictures... Film had it's own issues with chemistry, but there were known ways - and arguably more sustainable ways to produce images or ideas.
Apple has recently 'upgraded' my two year old iPhone to the latest software which has led to a drastic decrease in performance compared to what it could do yesterday. I'm tired of being told when to upgrade the hardware to balance a trillion dollar budget. I think my next phone will be a Fairphone out of principle.
Joe: a
Me: *likes video, saves to playlist*
this is the kind of videos where you shine, Joe.
Thanks for doing that.
I didn't knew about it. I learned something important and i will make sure i will recycle my electronics appropriately.
Joe: “You might want to grab a drink.”
Me: “It’s 11am.”
Me: “Okay”
hahaha :)
I did it.
Bernoulli same hahaha
Vodka it is!
I did a thesis on e-waste back in 2016 and tl;dr: it's a problem.
This channel was the last place I expected to turn me from a reformist to revolutionary.
Check out Kyle kulinski, Chris hedges or Noam Chomsky. You’ll want to revolutionize the galaxy then.
@@BrokenAbyss not a huge fan of kyle, but chomsky knows his shit.
Joe does a great job triggering your thinking and helping you realize your individual potential.
Great video Joe, with substantial research and homework. I was almost sad and depressed until the end of the video where you highlighted some good work being done in at least some places to actually make a difference.
So nice from apple, specially after we discover that they were slowing down our phones on purpose, forcing us to buy a newer model.
Wow, Joe, great video. I had no idea it was this bad. Your videos should be shown in schools, company lunch rooms, carnivals and fairs, and anywhere there is a tv screen and a speaker. I believe you are right...awareness is the first step we as humans must take this, as well as many other issues SERIOUSLY! I hope it is not too late for us. 😟
Doing the right thing at this point is preparing for our inevitable, apocalyptic, demise. Yay progress!
We are all about to get really really good at recycling 😅
The virus might have brought us some time
It is only a little bit of waste going to China....it will all just magically go away come November...now where have i heard something similar
Join the treaty you morons!
Let's build smart bunkers.
@Almost Your Dad sure, better do something with all that virgin Canadian forest getting turned straight into toilet paper.
I had woken up about a week ago with one of Joe Scott’s videos playing, now this is my drug, a funny and summarised version of telling stories whilst still delivering knowledge.
I want this man to have 1M subscribers soon ❤️
So yeah Gorillaz' - Plastic Beach wasn't a warning, it's a documentary
Same goes for the game, Deus Ex. The original ps1 game. Also, great band, great album.
Blade Runner was set in 2019...
We love you Joe! Thanks for all you do buddy. Dont ever stop.
I love this guy he’s such a great conveyer of knowledge
Hello Joe ... From Switzerland. Your channel is my #1 favorite (yes, I am subscribed). As usual, another great vid; thank you.
While I am here, if I may, "Basel", the Swiss city, is pronounced "Baa-zil" and not "Bay-zil". No big deal, just wanted to throw that at you.
We had a Paradise given to us...we made it so far and now we are just living for Today and forgetting Tomorrow.
PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE
John Barber ok Boomer
You have opened my mind on this terrible situation. I hope we can do better someday.
For a long time now, I've just been trying to use everything until it dies. My home theater receiver is 14 years old, my Sirius player is 11 years old. The list goes on and on. Also, all the electronics in new cars, and fully electric cars add a lot to this problem. We were probably better off when things were made to last.
my 22y/o microwave still does the job! wait, its older... probably around 25 already...
@@civiere that's older than I am
New Tesla 1000000 mile batteries are designed to last for sure
I believe Tesla is developing a recycling system for their batteries. That's a start.
In regards to everything else, I watched a documentary about a town in Japan that has virtually no waste. Everyone is required to separate all waste into like 40+ categories which makes everything easily reusable.
Only problem is that people are lazy and won't do that unless they are forced to... MURICA!
@@civiere Can I play, too? My microwave is 37 years old!
Absolutely horrific.
I love his humor..."for unknown reasons it was shortened to The Basel Convention." Lol
Hehe
Just the video I needed this morning before I head off to my job building circuit boards.
2:32 A more depressing version of "you might want to grab a drink and a snack."
Hello there, fellow futurist.
@@wahlex841 Isaac and Joe are two of my best internet friends
Haha, awesome
A dwink and a schnak? Love SFIA 😁
Option #(n) for "what can I do to help?" Use your electronics for as long as you can, instead of replacing just because there's something new.
Ahhh, sweet dread, how I've missed you. You give my life purpose.
Interesting. How does dread give you meaning to your life?
@@fifthbeatle "death inspires me like a dog inspires a rabbit"
Dread is a good motivator for me when I get too complacent or comfortable or when I get caught up in my own head.
Thank you so much Joe I didn’t know that this type of stuff was going on and that my electronics were going to a place where they wouldn’t be recycled properly. Thanks to you raising awareness I will be sending my electronics to responsible recycle plants and be donating them if they still work to credible places
My mom taught me to save all my e-waste until theres a better way to get rid of it. My mom would like you Joe.
P.S GO RANGERS!!!!!
And -- Go Whataburger!
You really don't want to store lithium batteries, no matter the good intentions.
@@scheve332 honestly the fear of lithium batteries is a bit overblown, they certainly can be dangerous in particular situations, but long dead cells are fairly benign in fact.
Thank you for the continuous stream of quality media Joe. I’m a long time sub.
I have a crazy idea, how about we make it illegal to design electronics or policies that make it harder to repair broken devices. #RighttoRepair.
Agreed. If we just criminalized planned obsolescence and mandated a freely available official service manual with a 20-year minimum scope and sensible end-of-life procedures for all commercial products, it would seriously cut down on this issue. Realistically, it won't ever _completely_ go away before much better automated recycling/material processing is developed, and that could take a _long_ time. Might as well fix the low-hanging fruit quickly by going after anti-repair companies and organizations.
Apple should NOT be trusted on any e-waste-related matters, no matter how many one-off PR stunt robots they build -- they're THE primary poster-child of anti-repair organizations. Apple products are contractually "must-shred" with so-called 'legitimate' recyclers -- Apple is so afraid of repair parts getting onto the market and fixing phones that would otherwise be replaced with newer models, that they launch a huge, expensive multi-pronged attack on the supply chains, both bribing and legally threatening recyclers to make them swear to destroy Apple products in order to prevent spare parts from escaping, controlling online discussion to prevent Apple product consumers from seeking repairs by banning anyone who mentions third-party repairs from their online services, harassing competing replacement part manufacturers and distributors through a variety of means, and lobbying aggressively for laws restricting third-party repairs and criminalizing possession of 'proprietary' repair tools and information.
I have no words for how I hate them, but most companies are quietly following in their footsteps on at least some of those fronts.
@@05Matz You should write this at least as a proper comment - not a _reply_ to a comment; more people need to read it.
I own a small eWaste Recycling Business. We have never shipped overseas. In fact it’s our promise to our clients. We are not a huge business and still make plenty of money. There is no excuse for shipping overseas. It’s just down right greed. We also never throw anything away so 100% is recycled. Also one of our promises. Thank you for this video and helping raise awareness. Need more people who care like you do.
I've spent weeks and weeks looking on the map for Bayzzel but no joy. Have I missed the point? 🇬🇧😰
All that freedom over there, he doesn't have to use conventional pronunciation!
17:22
Have I ever taken apart an electronic device just to see how it works?... I honestly don't think I own a single device I haven't disassembled.
Lol, fun to hear that, remembering that here you can't legally extract precious metals like gold from e-waste, you have to buy license to do that, which costs A LOT x)
Say, what!?
Thanks for that video.
I'm kind of happy to see that my Country actually does help. (Switzerland)
"You might wanna grab a drink."
I genuinely laughed at that one!
(edit) OK, after finishing watching the video, this is both one of your funniest and most tragic in a while. A true emotional rollercoaster.
Just finished the OLF episode from last Friday, I'm so glad this video is here to continue this conversation on E-waste.
I appreciate this is a serious subject, but when “Heavy Metal” was first mentioned I was waiting for the guitar sting from Bill and Ted
I collect and refurbish furbies, it was really neat to come across a video “in the wild” that mentioned them :) I try my best to clean up furbies and get them in working order again and find them a new home, it really pains me when people just throw them out or destroy them. Furbies are cool little creatures and are, in my opinion, the best companion robots human have created so far. It’s my dream to one day design my own companion robots, this video brought a whole lot of relevant information that can be used if that dream ever becomes a reality, Thank you!
Made a brew. Chose Camomile after the warning ;)
Thanks for the warning so I can bail at 2:35. I’m not ready for this right now. Love ya Joe. 💕
Daisy:
I use the electronic to destroy the electronic
Thank you for bringing light to this very important subject
"You might wanna grab a drink."
Way ahead of you Joe, way ahead of you.
Built in obsolescence on steroids....my brand new laptop will last only 3 weeks because the battery can no longer be changed. Absolute idiocy! Thanks Joe for highlighting the problem....
Sorry it should be 3 years......
I'll give you my smart phone if you can find me a smart politician.
@John Barber There are 20 000 reasons I would vote for him. If only Trump was half the man.
Smart isn't really the problem. They're all fairly smart to get to where they are. They're just also diabolically evil, putting money/power and re-election at any cost way above actually doing anything for the average citizen.
Thank you, I feel like I haven't laughed in days - that was a good one!
@@jkenny1 Not really you don't need to be smart to win popularity contests in fact it appears to be a disadvantage as much in politics as it was in school, guess people prefer hollow airheads they can project on more than people with real conviction of their own.
Thanks for highlighting issues like this Joe, you're the man
It would be interesting to see a requirement that manufacturers Have to have an end of life plan for their product; either Actual recyclers (like Apple's phones) or a contracted recyclers.
I watched a documentary about the kids that do this recycling. It's truly horrifying on so many levels. It's not just the toxic fumes and chemicals. They are badly abused by adults. Thanks for putting the video out I had no idea Apple was doing BuyBacks. I'll have to look into it.
Today I learned: never eat eggs in Ghana.
True
Revolver Ocelot those things are in the other countries just not rampant
It's a shame that the people in Ghana don't have that luxury.
Ian Macfarlane fr
Or get a local pregnant
Thank you for creating and sharing this video.
Joe: "You might want to grab a drink."
Me: "oh boy, here we go." (Grabs the 1.5L bottle of vodka he was going to use for limoncello.)
Had no idea this was an issue but as someone who regularly repairs electronics im glad i know how to avoid the problem now and responsibly get rid of my e waste
3:28 As Wendell (Level1Tech) would say; "The Internet of Broken Things!"
Excellent subject matter and very well delivered....Thanks
Broke guy here: I should start processing my own ewaste.
Teach me how. Fellow broke... being, here.
I was feeling uncharacteristically hopeful today, thank you very much!
10:45 51-state flag, did I miss something?
Probably slipped in by a Brexiter, it is their dream for us to become the 51st state.
@@krashd I think it would work out well for everyone. Except the Queen.
Great subject and presentation. Thanks you
Joe: 9 countries didn't sign the treaty
Me: USA... USA... I know it's on that list... we sign NOTHING and even when we do, some asshole backs us out of it for literally no logical reason.
Joe: Who would've thought Bioengineering may be part of the solution
Me: *sigh* o/
Man, Joe is certainly Incredible with the way he communicates important information.
Thank you once again!
3:05 Ha ha ha.
Programmers use more computing power to write everything in JS to decrease price of development and increase profit of the companies.
Microplastics from tires are also a huge problem btw.