After the lecture, I have learnt a lot about the current situation of electronic waste, the materials we can get out of a smartphone as well as better ways other than recycling. For example, the afterlife of smartphone depends on the condition of the phone, the regional policy on recycling as well as the economy of smart electronics. There is only 16% of smartphones are recycled, most ended up in landfill. The production of smartphone causes greenhouse gas emission. The mining involved in production also has serious environmental impact. Although smartphones are not well-recycled due to various factors, there are other environmental-friendly ways to deal with them to promote circular economy, such as turning them into security camera, activity monitor. Prevention is the best solution.
Through the lesson, I also understand an important concept, linear economy against circular economy. Linear economy only focus on profit other than environment while circular economy use the waste as a resource to form a cycle. It is sustainable and practical in the long run. In fact, not only smartphones, linear economy is also vital in energy supply.
Besides, the ‘afterlife of smartphones’ is closely related to my life. For instance, I know the environmental effects of production and use of smartphones, the electric devices used by us every day. I also know that there are many feasible ways to reduce pollution caused by disposal of smartphones, prevention, minimisation, reuse are ways that more favourable than recycling. What’s more, I’ve known an interesting fact that old phones are better than gold mines. Even the medals of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic are made from metals extracted from used smartphones.
In conclusion, the lecture is a very interesting lesson that widens my horizons about the afterlife of smartphones.