The goal of reducing e-waste was a significant motivator for European Union parliamentarians to propose a universal charger for mobile phones and other gadgets yesterday. However, a number of other elements must come together for the measure to make a significant difference in the global e-waste problem. According to the European Parliament, unused and discarded chargers generate up to roughly 11,000 metric tonnes of e-waste in Europe each year. They want to reduce the pile by eliminating the need for various chargers for different devices, which means that in just a few years, most new mobile phones in the EU will almost certainly have to include a USB-C charging connector. Making the USB-C, a universal charger will help customers save money in the long run-up to 250 million euros a year “on unnecessary charger purchases,” the EU says.
As per the experts the measure is unlikely to make a significant difference in the large volume of e-waste building up throughout the world. Nonetheless, the ruling might be symbolic in nature. It exemplifies how stricter laws can compel Big Tech to modify its inefficient practices. “It’s a significant step forward, but it’s not going to solve the e-waste problem,” says Ruediger Kuehr, head of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research in Bonn, Germany, and manager of the Sustainable Cycles Programme (CYCLE).
According to Sara Behdad, an associate professor at the University of Florida’s Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment, the measure’s effectiveness in decreasing e-waste is highly dependent on a wild card: human behavior. “The question is whether we utilize that standardized element to encourage reuse, repair, and recovery, or if we use it to make it simpler for people to consume more.” According to Behdad. If standardizing chargers reduces manufacturing costs by increasing efficiency, there’s a chance that cheaper pricing will encourage customers to buy more chargers. Behdad speculates that customers could want to buy one for each room, which would result in additional e-waste. Standardizing components, on the other hand, is often considered as a technique to make it easier to repair and recycle any electronic item, as Behdad points out. Repairing and reusing old chargers is uncommon. They’re more likely to end up in someone’s junk drawer or the garbage can. If they get it to a recycling facility, they’re usually thrown in with other household devices and destroyed. Any precious items can be retrieved after they’ve been shredded.
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