I was thinking the other day about the environment and our long term success on this planet then I picked up my iPhone and realized that we as consumers need to demand more. We demand smaller thinner devices. Because of this pressure on these companies to win the race of mm, thinnest phone, we are sacrificing our planet.

Two issues I see here is my 800 dollar smart phone is for all purposes ultimately a throw away device. A sealed case who's battery cannot be changed means that after about 2 years of normal use the battery is compromised to the point you would want to get a new battery, but you can't beca use it is sealed. Time to trade it in. Won't they recycle it? Well not really. The new lithium batteries catch fire easily so often recyclers won't even recycle it.

So we are stuck in a cycle of expensive devices filling landfills and putting out a lot of wast producing these devices.

I think consumers should demand more devices that can be used more than 2 years and have changeable batteries.

Two benefits I see here:
1. It's better for the consumer to be able to use devices longer and just buy a new battery.
2. It's better for the planet overall to have lest waste and pollution producing.

Just some random thought.

buy a samsung.

Even the new Samsung are sealed. They too moved in this direction.

just shoot all that crap into outer space...

in all seriousness though, I agree with you. Problem is people seem to always want something better, NOW, so new, slimmer phones will always sell. I imagine a good portion of people don't think about the long term consequences of this or they just don't give a fluff. I see plenty of people not giving a crap about recycling their plastic water bottles so why would they care about their electronics.

With regards to companies not actually recycling the phones.. there are a lot of cell phone recycling programs around so if they don't actually do that then who would step in to slap them on the wrist? Perhaps I'm just too pessimistic but I don't see many companies taking the responsible approach without being forced into it.

check out block phones. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQqudiUdGuo

just toss them in volcanos, closer and easier then space

if its an apple, with shutdown issues - they'll change it foc
if its a battery replacement, $300

apple have factory replaceable parts, although you could prob get it done a lot cheaper at a 3rd party repair store

who needs samsung self-igniting batteries :P

Same goes for population control. The volcano gods will be pleased.

Send them to the same slave labour camps where they were built. The workers, many of them children, will be exposed to the toxic chemicals as they demolish and disassemble them and will die young, ignorant and poor.

Actually most electronics are worth money at a recycle center.

They self destruct. Problem solved.

I have had 0 problems from my S4 and now S6. Next year when I get an S8 I am sure it will be fine too.

My S4 is now a toy for my kids and a makeshift pool camera with its lifeproof case.

Anyone that buys a note is a tard in the first place. That POS is too big to be called a phone. Buy a tablet.

Who cares? I'll be dead by the time the environment gets bad enough to adversely affect people who matter.

And that right there sums up the real problem.

Nah, it's not a real problem. The earth will be fine whether or not we survive whatever we manage to bring upon ourselves--assuming we bring it at all.

But, since you are so insistent on making it a problem, I propose a solution:

Reduce the human population to the point humanity no longer needs to create so much pollution.

Don't say I never tried to help.

I just feel sorry for the people working in China and other countries in unsafe factories for practically nothing, housed in concrete dormitories, bombarded by lies and propaganda, making smartphones for us. Its bad enough in many of our factories. I've been in a lot of them, like 1000, and there is plenty of stupid danger.

What I think is that our system of rewarding the "1%" is not helping us to create a better world. It's making a few very wealthy while basically enslaving millions in a greedy and corrupt capitalist system, lead by the likes of Donald Trump.

^This. Our planet is going to shake us off like a bad head lice problem one day and will end up being just fine.

mother nature takes care of its own, humanity ain't included in that.

This is no different than the entirety of human history. I doubt it will change aan times soon buttercup.

True. I also agree with Primeval when he said:

Originally posted by NukEvil:
... The earth will be fine whether or not we survive whatever we manage to bring upon ourselves--assuming we bring it at all.

...


^This. Our planet is going to shake us off like a bad head lice problem one day and will end up being just fine.

eliminating samsung people in a triumph of darwinism !

Iphone 7 doing that now too.

i

req, let's get you playing again if you have all this free time on your hands :p

HTC is my favorite I had the HTC m8 now I possess the HTC 10

As far as waste goes, I believe Sweden burns garbage to power it's grid. It even buys garbage from other countries. Don't quote me on that country being Sweden.

yep but can't burn phones etc.

I just burned an old one to test it. It melts pretty fast

sure it melts but metals inside of it need to be removed.

we could power the planet ourselves but it won't smell good at all, sewage treatment plants make a pretty potent gas off our waste that burns. Still better off with natural gas as the CO2 emission around the same.

you could use methane to power up car.

You can use methane to feed the planet. Or, well, "scientists" tell "me" "we" "could" but we all know science is just greek for lie.

Depends on your diet some people might not make it to work ;)

http://www.motherearthnews.com/...rob?pageid=2#PageContent2

This is the dumbest fluff I've ever heard in my life . . . you use a 4 oz device for two years and throw it away and somehow that going to destroy the planet? Have a kid and see how many four ounce diapers you throw away in the first 2 days.

fluffing dumbass hipster millennials trying to save a world they have no understanding of . . .

One acre of landfill will hold 110 million smartphones - thats about a one year supply for the entire country. GG Req, GG.

not your own, cows farts.

Everyone of you talking about throwing away electronics... When Skynet comes online, they are coming for you first. They don't forget

Even if you don't care about the waste factor it is still better for the consumer to be able to extend the life of their device by being able to replace a spent battery.

req: yep but that's non-profitable to phonemakers.

new phone 500-1k bucks, new battery 10-20 bucks.

All phones have replaceable batteries, it just depends on how difficult it is based on the type of phone

mostly owner can't do it by him/herself.

Ifixit.com will show you how

Yeah that is a good point but I don't think you can expect many people to do that on their own. Nerds like us sure but people like my mother-in-law? God damn dont even try lol!