Wary of waste

 

 

 

These pretty images of Moleskin notebooks reminded me yet again of how much I love paper products. I know, I know, paper is supposed to be wasteful and the world would be a better place if we all communicated electronically all the time. Technology will set us free from wateful practices, right? Except, except, I’m stumbling on this one, as I become more and more conscious of e-waste. A couple of recent light-bulb moments:

In the last two months, I’ve had to ditch two point and click digital cameras (not cheapies) because they just stopped working. I was advised by the repair department at my local camera shop that fixing them would probably cost more than they were worth, and that because they were past the warranty, the manufacturers wouldn’t replace them.

When the digital LED-lit temperature gauge on my oven stopped working, I phoned my repair guy, thinking I was probably in for a simple, inexpensive repair. After all, it just meant replacing a little light, no? Ah, no. I was told that the entire front panel of the stove would have to be removed (and sent to landfill, presumably) and replaced with a new panel that would cost — get this — $500. That’s just plain goofy.

So I’m now asking myself – just how much electronic waste are we creating? To give you an idea, there’s some interesting numbers on U.S. e-waste on Retrevo.com.

If like me, you’re becoming fascinated by waste issues, don’t miss Ellen Moorhouse’s Trash Talk column. In the meantime, if you have e-waste you want to get rid of safely, go to Do What You Can, a site that tells consumers how and where to dispose of their e-waste across the province. I’ve also just found out about Ifixit.com, on online resource for DIY  gadget repair. So maybe those cameras aren't  fit for the pit just yet.