Digital waste is something that I actually have thought about from time to time for quite a few years. I grew up hearing that you shouldn’t just throw away your old electronics, but I never knew what happened to any of it after you handed it over to people who would take care of it for you. I kind of assumed it went to factory-type places where they’d break stuff down and process parts and stuff, but I guess that wasn’t right. It’s not fair that we dump all this garbage on developing countries and that their people are endangered because of it.
I used to work at Office Depot and we would take people’s old electronics for recycling, and this week’s article makes me wonder if the company actually recycles the stuff or if they ship it overseas. It makes sense that dumping the stuff in places like Ghana is cheaper than recycling, but it hurts to know that corporations are more worried about money than contributing to a cleaner environment (although it is not surprising in the least). Yay for corporate greed!
Since this is the last required post for the semester, I thought I’d reflect a little on the class. I have really enjoyed this class and I think everything we have talked about is pretty interesting. I’ve gained a whole new insight and perspective on data and Google and everything else we’ve talked about. I no longer think of Google as this heavenly entity that I love with all my heart. The things I’ve learned in this class I have been able to discuss and apply to other parts of my life in ways I didn’t expect coming into the class.
Tacy's blog 