I disagree with the message this video is presenting. It is NOT the fault of all CEOs and large companies. It is the consumer demand for smaller faster/better devices that is driving the rapid changes in the electronics industry. As long as consumers continue to upgrade to the latest iPhone/iPod every year, companies will continue to antiquate prior models at a rapid pace to keep up with demand.

“Design for the Dump” could mean to use guidelines set forth by the EU, US, etc. to use parts that are ROHS compliant, halogen free, no paraffins, etc… Companies are already required to follow these standards, if they are insufficient then suggest changes to those guidelines. An example would be a requirement to make separating out parts easier to simplify recycling (consumers could actually separate the electronics out into appropriate recycle bins).

You should be sending e-mails/videos out raising consumer awareness on how to properly dispose of waste rather than throwing old electronics in the trash (as the video depicts). Older electronics are especially more dangerous to the environment as they were made before the ROHS requirements were in effect and contain lead.

Although the intent of the video is good… Reduce electronic waste. The delivery of the message is poor. Pointing fingers and placing sole responsibility at/on large companies is not the answer.

Consumers should be aware of how to properly dispose of electronics. Manufacturers of electronic equipment should “Design for the Dump” but not how you define it. They should design items so that they are easily recycled/bio-degradeable because the dump of the future is not simply a landfill, but a recycling center as well.

I agree with a lot of what JC has to say.
The only thing I have an issue with is when JC mentions the words recycled/bio-degradable. This is not to slam JC’s comments in anyway, I am just tired of companies labeling things as bio-degradable.
So here is my two cents on bio-degradable products from a biologist/chemist POV. Realistically most things on the periodic table of elements is bio-degradable: from petroleum based products, styrofoam, glycol, PCV, uranium, and humans and animals eventually biodegrade. The thing is you do not know how long it takes to biodegrade. For example, plutonium’s half life takes 24,100 years. This example is extreme I know, but many other elements take a LONG time to degrade to half it’s life. Also, biodegradable does not mean it is less toxic to humans or the environment.

Anne does make a valid point about recycling parts and recycling them in the US. Maybe this could create jobs around here and the conditions would be a lot safer for humans than it would be over seas where they have very limited safety regulations.

Overall I thought it was informative.

Hi Annie and all at Story of Stuff

Just mananged to view SoS Electronics – once again congratulations on a fantastic film.

It prompted me to think about extended producer responsibility. Here in the UK we have the Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Act that forces manufacturers and distributers to become part of a compliance scheme for take back and recycling. But as your film points out “what does recycling mean in reality?” Stripping “valuable” materials and dumping the rest? How do we define “value”. A colleague and friend, Ray Georgeson feels we need to redefine what “precious” means, especially when thousands of miners are killed every year and many more injured or put their long term health at risk extracting the so called precious materials we “need” for our lifestyle choices (see Ray’s blog on http://www.raygeorgesonresources.co.uk/)

What’s quite annoying to us here in Cumbria is that our successes to date in reducing waste and increasing recycling has fooled our politicians and directors into thinking “the job’s done” – so they propose to cut us back to pre-2005 staff levels and budgets. “You’re a victim of your own success” is often said – “We punish success” is the subtext.

So, it’s great to see a new film from SoS to remind us that the job is far from done and not until a cradle to cradle approach for all our consumables is the norm will it be.

Best regards
Martin Allman
Waste Prevention Manager
Cumbria County Council
UK

What would it take to get manufacturers to pay, up-front, for their product’s end use? What level would that legislation be most effective? Is anyone in Congress working this?

I’m talking about a fund to clean up the Vortex, and that every manufacturer takes back their trash and/or recycling it.

Thanks!

Excelente projeto. Esperamos que os mais desenvolvidos saibam o que fazerem com seus lixos sem mandá-los aos países mais pobres.

I’m looking for balanced discussion on single stream processing / single stream recycling. It seems to be all the municipal rage these days. I would love to hear your perspective on it. Thank you Annie.

Thank you very much for creating such a useful tool for us educators! The Story of Stuff is a great model for the future of education. Easy to use and dynamic are it’s key feature me and my students enjoy…

I’m writing to you to request that you make a new movie called, ‘The Story of GMOs’ part of a new series called the ‘Story of Food’. GMOs cause permanent generational damage to our genetic pool. Thank you again for the work The Story of Stuff has done to bring into life the effects of our unsustainable material consumption/production cycle.

Links below may be able to help…
http://www.saynotogmos.org/
http://www.gmo-compass.org/eng/home/
http://www.relfe.com/GMOs.html
http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php

Happy Holidays!

i think that the world is regulated by the old school system and i could that is normal,because in the 2012 we have to do a great change for heal the planet earth,without the evil we never recognize the polarity of the good things .the origin of all stuff is a consciously or a insconciously mental creation .
the both world wars are a sign of destruction but this wars helps to awake our consciousness by our mistakes and our bad decisions with other countries.the fashion of the consumism is creating the death for others and the benefit for few people that have many properties and many money.in the united states if you do not have many money or possesions you are no one .people live and people die all is normal.all make part of the perfection of the normality

I have never owned a new car, I will only own a used one. I’ve had 2 computers, the first I bought in 2000, my current one is a refurbished laptop. I do not own a cell phone. I do not buy name brand clothing and I do not buy clothing every year or seasonally. I buy new shoes when the old ones wear out. I bought my motorcycle jacket 25 years ago. I don’t have cable, I watch shows I download from the net, without commercials. I have never clicked on a popup or banner ad, they annoy me, I resent them, I ignore them. I eat my leftovers. I bring my lunch to work. I make my own coffee. I waste nothing. I do no allow my employers to cajole or intimidate me into working more than the 40 hours a week for which I am paid. I do not shop as a recreational actitvity. I love buying used books, but will buy a new one if it’s the only place I can get it, however I take my books when I’ve read them and trade them in for credit at the used book store. I do everything I can to fix and repair something before I will throw it away. I enjoy the things that I have and I do not have things that I do not want or use. I am happy, I have plenty of leisure time, I am not unable to get dates because I’m not wearing up-to-the-minute fashions. My footprint is as small as I can make it. I didn’t need anyone to tell me how to live, I didn’t need to become frightened that things are running out, I was just taught that being selfish and greedy and wasting things and trying to get as much as I can for myself and to hell with everyone else is wrong and doesn’t work. I was never able to be brainwashed into the cycle of insecuriyt/fear/consumption that I see almost everyone around me cuaght up in and I’m not necessarily that much smarter than most people, my paresnts weren’t hippies or college professors,we weren’t poor, they just had commone sense and were decent people. Why the hell can’t people just wake up and realize what douchebags they are?