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A Practical Guide to Sustainable IT paul Mobbs A practical guide to sustainable IT Unit 10 This unit is one of 12 sections to a "a practical guide to sustainable IT", a hands-on guide to working with everyday technology in an environmentally conscious way. The guide has been written by environmental activist and ICT expert paul Mobbs, and was commissioned by the association for progressive Comunications (APC) with the support of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). To download the full text of the guide, or any of the other units, please visit: greeningit.apc.org A practical guide to sustainable IT Author paul Mobbs Copy-editing alan Finlay Layout proofreading lori Nordstrom Publication production Karen banks and Flavia Fascendini Graphic design Monocromo [email protected] phone: +598 2 400 1685 Commissioned by the association for progressive Communications (APC). Conducted with support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The views expressed in this publication are those of the individual authors and not necessarily those of apC or IDRC. A practical guide to sustainable IT published by the association for progressive Communications (APC) with support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). south africa 2012 Creative Commons attribution 3.0 licence <creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/> some rights reserved. APC-201206-SU-R-EN-DIGITAL-162 ISBN: 978-92-95096-71-4 Unit 10 ReUse And Reclamation Computers and the internet have enabled a capacity for human in- teraction and creativity that has not previously existed in our history. However, while many enjoy the products of the digital electronics revo- lution, comparatively few understand the principles behind how these tools function, and fewer still have the skills required to reconfigure these systems to perform different functions. In order to ensure that these technologies support the needs of the broadest spectrum of civil society, more people need to engage with the technical mechanics of information systems – both to improve their everyday use and extend and adapt their function to meet new challenges. one of the simplest ways to engage more people in the techniques and skills required to maintain and adapt information systems is to set up computer reuse and reclamation projects. such projects offer a wide scope of opportunities for those who wish to take part: • They can learn more about how these systems can be used to create more interactive media through the development of online content and audio/video media recording/editing; • They can learn about the functioning of information systems through the installation and configuration of operating systems and software; and • They can develop electrical and mechanical skills through the main- tenance, disassembly, and construction of machine hardware. In this unit we'll examine the last of these options – developing prac- tical computer reuse and recycling projects. such projects are the foundation on which the community use of information technology is based. Creating the independent capacity to reclaim and re-purpose IT hardware allows a whole range of other projects which rely on the use of these technologies to take place. 10.1. ICT “re-CyClIng” and “downCyClIng” he term “recycling” has been widely used This is why the level of technical skill pos- T since its promotion by the green movement sessed by the community is so important to in the 1970s. What is less familiar if the term how we can maintain the value invested in the “downcycling”.1 Recycling implies that goods production of technology. Community-based or materials are reused for similar purposes; organisations can find ways of reusing electri- downcycling implies that the waste is processed cal goods which may not be open to commercial to produce materials of a lower quality. reclamation companies – for example repairing The quality of the material produced by rec- electrical goods to supply at low cost to low in- lamation is important. When raw materials are come families. Community organisations can processed into finished goods a large quantity also respond to the needs of a community by of energy is required, and this entails the pro- using these materials to develop low-cost com- duction of pollution. The investment of energy munity projects – such as community ICT ac- and resources in manufactured goods is often cess and training projects. such projects help described as embodied energy.2 The benefit to retain the value of the energy and resources of recycling is that much of the energy and re- originally invested in the production of these sources investment in the original production goods, and can make them available at low cost of the goods is retained, avoiding the need to to those who may otherwise not be able to ac- expend resources again to produce those mate- cess them if they had to pay the market value rials. Downcycling often involves breaking down for newly manufactured goods. or disassembling the goods to produce materi- als of a lower quality which, while they may be 10.1.1. Equipment triage useful, require that the value of energy embod- ied within the goods is diminished. It is tech- The first important step in the reclamation of nically possible to re-manufacture goods from electrical goods is “triage”. like medical triage, the downcycled materials, but doing so requires this involves separating the waste goods received that we invest a greater quantity of energy and by the project into different groups depending resources to achieve this. upon the serviceability of the items. This needs When we look at the options for reusing to be carried out by someone with experience of digital electronics and information systems, the reclaiming electronic goods; so that they can di- principles of downcycling and recycling can help agnose any faults or problems which exist with us find the best options for the use of these them, and classify them according to the likeli- goods. Many commercial electronic waste com- hood of repairing/reconditioning them. panies crush and fragment electrical goods,3 as the electrical goods come into the project even if they are serviceable, because that is the they must be sorted into three categories: cheapest way to extract value from the collect- ed waste. Community-based schemes, provided • Serviceable – the goods have no faults, and they have the skilled technicians available, can are in working order. In order to comply with look instead at the options for recycling – find- electrical safety regulations in many states4 ing new uses for serviceable goods, and only this may require a qualified electrician to carry discarding those items which cannot be reused out earthing and electrical safety tests in or- because they have reached the end of their ser- der to certify them ready for reuse. once certi- viceable life. fied these goods can immediately be reused by the local community without the need for further work or modification. 1. Wikipedia, 'Downcycling'. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down- cycling • Unserviceable – the goods may have minor 2. Wikipedia, 'Embodied energy'. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Em- faults which need rectifying. In contrast to bodied_energy 3. BBC News (2008). Throw-away Britain: How to recycle a 4. Wikipedia, 'Portable appliance testing'. en.wikipedia.org/ television. news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7747975.stm wiki/Portable_appliance_testing 4 / a practical guide to sustainable IT the financial restrictions which operate within recycling, such as Free Geek6 (an urban project commercial reclamation organisations, where in the us), who work on a semi-commercial ba- the most practical economic option is to re- sis providing a community service, training and cover the scrap value of the materials, this is volunteering opportunities related to the reuse the type of repair and reclamation work which of ICTs; others, such as The Container project7 could be carried out at a low cost if a project (based in rural Jamaica), are wholly community could be developed to organise the required based, using IT reclamation as part of wider cul- training and safety certification. once repairs tural and educational projects within the local have been carried out the goods can be passed community. as “serviceable” and made available for use. • Unusable – for a variety of reasons goods 10.1.2. Finding a purpose for the equipment can be unusable if it is not practical or eco- projects can run into trouble if their objectives nomic to refurbish/repair them. That does are poorly designed, or because they lack the not mean the whole unit has no use and must capacity to provide the service they desire. be scrapped. parts of the mechanism could In the worst case they can rapidly become a be stripped down and components reused in dumping ground for waste electronics. Espe- order to provide the parts to repair unservice- cially in those states where the disposal of able goods. stripping down old equipment electrical goods is regulated, donating equip- can also act as a valuable teaching aid for ment to community groups can be seen as the those learning the skills of electrical repair, easy option for disposing of old equipment. as and being able to separate waste materials a result the groups can become quickly sub- into separate metals, plastics and waste elec- merged in old equipment with no immediate tronics allows a high price to made from the outlet for its reuse, and no funds to pay for the sale of these materials to commercial recla- disposal of it. mation companies. an important element within community- Repairing computers and information devices based recycling projects is having a community is a very much simpler task than trying to repair or body of people who are ready and able to put the previous generation of analogue electronics. the reconditioned equipment to good use.
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