Electronic Waste

As electronics come to the end of their life, or are simply replaced with newer relatively inexpensive models, the amount of e-waste that must be managed continues to grow at an alarming rate. E-waste represents a significant environmental and ethical problem. A large body of our work focuses on the destructive capacities of capitalist accumulation, the unrecounted and undocumented afterlives of waste, and long-lasting harmful impacts on landscapes, livelihoods, and bodies. Yet, the categorical placement and discussion of electronic objects, gadgets, and gismos as waste, overshadows their rich and vital lives prior to discard, the relational meanings and memorialized histories, and the unintentional identity work that results. E-waste, we suggest, then is a powerful cultural domain to “think with”, offering distinctive features to explore auto-ethnographical and object life histories, especially in in the transitory moment after use and before discard. This posters offers findings from our work on the afterlives of e-waste and begins in what we propose as a new methodology—electronic life histories—that asks us to not only examine the cradle-to-grave processual aspects of making and discarding electronic objects, but also through artistic mediums the meanings that these objects carry with them as they travel with us through our lives.

We began by identifying how e-waste is becoming one the fastest growing waste streams, and the major contributor of heavy metals to landfills. The diverse shape, size, and makeup, as well as the more than 1000 toxic chemicals variably present in e-waste, present unique challenges to consumers, recyclers, policymakers, and researchers (Babu et al. 2007).

We are concerned. E-waste exposure is an emergent global problem. Few long-term and longitudinal studies have been conducted on e-waste exposure, despite the fact that many populations are exposed for long durations. Many potentially dangerous chemicals found in e-waste, including their metals, shown here, have not been adequately studied in order to assess their health burden.

The risks posed to pregnant women and children from e-waste are unique, but no studies have focused exclusively on these groups. Likewise, most research has focused on Southeast Asian e-recyclers, but little has been conducted on other informal e-recyclers in other parts of the world (Frazzoli et al. 2010). 

We talked to a lot of people. We found that people hold onto electronics for a variety of reasons: lack of information regarding options, they are easily stored in homes, data security concerns, no municipal infrastructure for pick-up, no financial incentive, and perceived financial value. But most importantly, people held onto their objects because the memories embedded within them and their emotional value.

Through our work, we also found there exists a lack of infrastructure/information for encouraging repair and reuse while simultaneously consumers are encourage to buy, use and discard electronic objects, especially mobile phones, with every new model.