Cellphone Giants: Wireless Waste

The two most important subjects that we deal with at Pothast Technologies are electronic waste and technology. Although the two seem to go hand in hand, consider this:

Technology has been improving exponentially for the large majority of the past century. Our waste disposal knowledge, practice and awareness certainly has not. With the arrival of the iPad as the latest gadget to hit shelves, a truly wondrous device, one can only wonder how far technology will take us.

But let's look at the other side. For every iPad purchase, there is an old laptop or desktop computer thrown away, seen no longer fit to cope with the demands of a 21st century technological infrastructure. Granted, some companies have created quite comprehensive recycling programs, such as HP. However, there is still much work to be done.

Unlike technology, where the possibilities are seemingly endless and will reach more wondrous heights with each year that passes, the room for landfills on Earth is finite. At one point, maybe not in your or my lifetime, when you go to throw away your television there may not be anymore room. Can you imagine that?

There are numerous videos depicting the rise of e-waste in the third world, one of which can be seen here about Ghana.

With risk of sounding like an apocalyptic prophet, the question is not will we run out of room to dump our things, but when.

Keep e-volving.