Product Recycling: I Phones and Dell Laptops

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Product Recycling – IPhone and Dell Laptop The rate and advancement of technology production is remarkable. Almost as soon as you purchase a new phone, laptop, MP3 player, it becomes out of date within a year. We have become part of an endless consumer chain, constantly being prodded to buy the next “best” item even though we already have a functioning product. In fact, from 1999 to 2005, Americans threw away more than 157 million computer products (EPA, 2012). What are the environmental externalities of such behavior? Many do not stop to think where these products came from, who was affected in their making, and what happens to these products once we decide to replace them for the latest model. I have noticed that two of the most common products used by students on campus are iPhones and laptops; commodities which are almost required in a college setting, enabling students to check email, write papers, and make phone calls. Consequently, I would like to examine the ecological implications of iPhones and Dell laptops (a laptop brand I personally own) and recycling programs for these products. As far as technology products go, Apple makes a point of trying to eliminate most harmful chemicals. Apple states on its website that it has eliminated the use of mercury, lead, arsenic, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), brominated flame retardants, and phthalates from its processes and supply chain. Although, Apple does provide a disclaimer that PVC and Phthalates are still used in the manufacture of products in India and South Korea (Apple, 2014). PVC and Phthalates lead to nerve damage, immune reactions and liver cancer, and reproductive system damage respectively. Yet, despite Apple’s claims of environmental responsibility, the company is st... ... middle of paper ... ... Will Recycle Your IPhone for Free, Or Most of It. Bloomberg News. Retrieved from: http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-04-25/apple-will-recycle-your-iphone-for-free-or-most-of-it Rees, Eifon. (2011 April 4). Apple: the hidden costs of your iPad and iPhone. The Ecologist. Retrieved from: http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/837185/apple_the_hidden_costs_of_your_ipad_and_iphone.html Santillo, D., Walters, A., Brigden, K., Labunska, I., Greenpeace Research Laboratories. (2007, Oct.) Missed Call: iPhone's hazardous chemicals. Greenpeace. Retrieved From: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/PageFiles/25275/iPhones-hazardous-chemicals.pdf The Associated Press. (2014 Mar 12). Groups say Apple uses dangerous chemicals in iPhones. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved from: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/groups-say-apple-uses-dangerous-chemicals-in-iphones/

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