Our own worst enemy

I was looking at my desk recently and I realized that I am as much a part of the problem as anyone else in the electronic waste concern. I have numerous gadgets and devices that I use in varying frequency. Looking at the mess of "cool stuff" I have accumulated I realized that I am contributing to the problem by buying these things.

After a few soul searching minutes I did an inventory of what I have and what I actually use. Only about 15% of what I own are items I use regularly and the rest fall into the category of novelty or just something that allows me to be lazier than I should be about certain tasks. Taking stock of my junk made me realize that there are probably hundreds of thousands of people just like me out there that have a bunch of gadgets that make life perceptibly easier but in reality just contribute to the ever increasing electronic waste problem.

I am not expecting anyone to go out and recycle all of their neat gadgets and novelty items that don't "serve a purpose." While that would be noble, let's be real here. You bought it for a reason and you paid good money for it. I don't intend to dispose of my technology but I am now far more aware of the situation moving forward. Be cognizant of these concerns before making the purchase. That is where we can slow this process. If the makers of such items have less incentive to produce (i.e. Lower sales figures) then the problem will work itself out naturally.

Be aware of what drives the market and you can affect the front of the funnel rather than the tail end. The best way to effect change in this is to hit the market earlier in the purchasing cycle. Prevent the mess from being made rather than clean it up.