Jiangyue He

ABOUT THE PROJECT
    Due to the increasing use of electrical and electronic devices, electronic waste has becoming a major concern. People might feel that their individual effort in e-waste recycling won’t make a significant difference in the broader context of waste management and environmental conservation. Especially when it come to small electronics, there is less motivation on properly dispose and recycling them. In addition, the inconveniences of recycling e-waste and lake of education on the importance of proper disposal/recycle are some of obstacle in e-waste disposal/recycle. Finding ways to encourage everyone dedicate in the recycling of e-waste is critical.

WHAT CAN WE DO AS DESIGNER?
  1. provide electronic waste recycling information to broader audience through creating campaign.
  2. aiming to increase the public awareness of the importance of electronic waste recycling through creating campain.
  3. initiate fundraising to help the department of sanitation in their promotion activities.



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CURRENT PROBLEM



INTERVIEW WITH EXPERT
-
Tsering Lama from NYC Department of Sanitation

Question:
What are the needs and difficulties of the department?

Answer:
  1. To reach as much people as possible, letting them know the service
  2. Most people don't know that they need to recycle ectronic devices.
  3. Low on budget for promotion, which conflix with the first point.
E-WASTE EXPORTATION
E-waste is considered one of the global waste streams with the fastest yearly growth. A recent study estimates that 53.6 million metric tons of e-waste were generated globally in 2019. Only about 17% of this global e-waste was documented to be processed in a formal and appropriate manner. An estimated 5.1 million metric tons (9,5%) of the global e-waste were shipped across borders, while 35% of this transboundary movement was controlled and 65% was not.

Southeast Asian, Central and South American as well as North and West African countries are identified as the principal destinations for uncontrolled e-waste shipments, with the African countries often highlighted as the most important import hubs. These exports are said to be driven by the commercial demand of used electrical and electronic equipment in the importing countries as well as their less strict e-waste legislation making them attractive destinations to avoid higher recycling costs in countries with stricter e-waste regulation.
LACK OF AWARENESS ON E-WASTE
A study of Gen Z and Millennials found that 60% of these adults didn’t know what e-waste was and 57% didn’t realize these items contribute to pollution. While 90% of Gen Z and Millennials report they recycle plastics, glass, metals, and paper, studies find that only 37% of these adults are not contributing to the e-waste problem.

6/10 admit to throwing items like cellphones, charging cables, earbuds, and headphones into the trash. Of those people, 36% report that they simply don’t know if an item is recyclable or not and 44% don’t know how/where to recycle them. This is alarming and shows that many districts need to start making the information more apparent. It needs to be easier to recycle electronics.


Small Equipment Is the Biggest Part of E-Waste.



E-WASTE RECYCLING IN NYC
Residents
To get rid of e-waste, you must:
  • Find a retail or non-profit drop-off location accepting e-waste near you
  • Visit a Special Waste Drop-Off site
  • Bring it to a SAFE Disposal event
  • Enroll in ecycleNYC (apartment buildings with 10 or more units)
  • Use a manufacturer’s takeback program

Businesses and non-profits:
Small businesses (fewer than 50 full time employees) and nonprofits (fewer than 75 full time employees) are eligible for free electronics recycling provided by manufacturers. Larger businesses must hire an electronic waste recycler. 

Schools:
Schools must follow specific guidelines for disposal of e-waste. For more information on electronics disposal for NYC DOE Schools, contact WasteSupport@schools.nyc.gov.

NYC Agencies:
NYC mayoral agencies are required to contract with a private vendor for safe handling of harmful or hazardous waste. 


VISUALIZING THE AMOUNT OF E-WASTE

(image source from electronicshub.org

︎︎︎
An e-waste Taj Mahal every day.
Every day in 2019, humans produced 140,000 metric tons of electronic waste.
If this e-waste was made up entirely of bricked iPhone 11s, you could use those bricks to rebuild the Taj Mahal.
An e-waste Gherkin every month.
Every month, the world produces a pile of e-waste bricks that would dwarf London’s 180-meter Gherkin skyscraper – 4.47 million metric tons to be more precise.
An e-waste empire state building every year.
An e-waste One World Trade Center per year by 2030.
By 2030, measured by our trusty iPhone 11 brick (74.7 million metric tons of discarded iPhone 11s), the world’s annual e-waste is projected to engulf the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere: the One World Trade Center.