this post was submitted on 15 Mar 2025
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What’s the context?

Humane's Ai Pin and other AI wearables are difficult to recycle, threatening to worsen the world's global e-waste problem.

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[–] Quicky@lemmy.world 88 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

This article is a bit of a mess. What the fuck does AI have to do with the amount of glue used in a device?

And why focus on a limited run from a failed product rather than the literal millions of successful wearable products like airpods that are equally hard to recycle?

Also

Meanwhile, the use of the technology is only expected to grow.

Very insightful

[–] Quicky@lemmy.world 36 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Oh and not to question the professor's expertise but you can't blame the consumers for this one. Literally NOBODY asked for one of these pins.

"These products are designed based on the consumers' desires and affordability," said Berrin Tansel, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Florida International University.

Making them easier to recycle would require the cost of the material recovery process to be fronted by the manufacturer, making them more expensive, Tansel told Context.

[–] boreengreen@lemm.ee 16 points 23 hours ago (2 children)

Well, make the manufacturer responsible for eol recycling costs then.

[–] usualsuspect191@lemmy.ca 8 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

There's an e-waste recycling fee tacked onto some electronics (TVs mostly I think) in Canada. Maybe it needs to be expanded to other things?

[–] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 8 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago)

It should be expanded to everything. Why do we allow corporations to build things that can't be recycled, and not have them pay for the waste management of the products they create? Taxing them for hard to recycle packaging and products would spur them to create more sustainable alternatives. Why do we let consumers buy shit but distribute the cost of their waste management across all tax payers? Consumers should be charged extra for buying products which are hard to dispose of.

NOTE: you just charge the companies for the waste management of their products, which will be passed onto consumers.

[–] iopq@lemmy.world 3 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

That won't work in this case since the company is out of business

[–] boreengreen@lemm.ee 6 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

if you set up something like this, they would have to pay at the time of manufacturing.

[–] iopq@lemmy.world 2 points 2 hours ago

Yes, which fairphone actually accomplished

https://shop.fairphone.com/fairbuds

[–] surewhynotlem@lemmy.world 11 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago)

If only we had a way to collect money from companies as they operate. Damn.

Edit: I know you said in this case, but taxing companies for this makes sense and needs to be said

[–] Mim@lemmy.zip 5 points 22 hours ago

And why focus on a limited run from a failed product rather than the literal millions of successful wearable products like airpods that are equally hard to recycle?

Because there are a lot of people with an hateboner for everything with 'AI' mentioned with it and it brings clicks.