conuhacks-ewaste

ewaste is a massive problem in our society, and as the internet of things continues to proliferate, the number of devices in circulation is like to increase exponentially. In turn, the volume of ewaste should also increase in kind. As of 2016 the amount of ewaste has grown to 44.7 million metric tonnes –a value equivalent to about 4,700 eifel towers. This is a massive amount of waste. According to another report by the UN, e waste can account for as much as 70% of the toxic waste in landfills. Beyond these pressing environmental concerns, many of the materials in technological devices are rare. With the high costs – both fiscal and ecological- of extraction, finding creative ways of repurposing materials is essential.

While recycling is a great way to deal with ewaste, we suggest that can further aid in the reduction of ewaste by promoting repair and reuse of devices and their components.

Ideal:

The right to repair movement is a step in the right direction, but how is the average user to go about fixing their device? What we envisioned is a market place where users could connect with each other and swap or sell parts. The goal of this would be to cut down on the amount of devices sent for recycling –removing the carbon costs of shipping and and breakdown of materials. Further, by promoting an ideal of repair, perhaps we can help to lengthen the short life cycle of consumer electronics.

We to provide a space where people can enter their phones and the both the working and broken components of their phones into our database. From there, they would be able to search for other users that would be willing to sell or donate working parts. As an additional field we would endurance people to also donate or sell their expertise in repair. This way, people who do not have the interest in repairing their devices would be able to participate.

Finally, though we seek to minimize all waste, somethings will need to be recycled. So we have included a search feature that will geo-locate their nearest recycling center.

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