[throwaway81523]

Their FAQ is pretty clear that they actually replace the batteries somehow. I'm glad someone figured out how to do that, but I agree with you that the airpod batteries (like the batteries in everything else) should have been replaceable in the first place.

[beckman466]

> I agree with you that the airpod batteries (like the batteries in everything else) should have been replaceable in the first place.

100% agree, you can't unsee things like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mleQVO1Vd1I

[petespeed]

Some thoughts:

1. Every new product designed should have a cost associated to it for proper disposal. Thus total cost of ownership is a "green cost" which is not just acquisition but also proper disposal.

2. Another option is to put burden of mandatory proper recycling back on the original manufacturer of the product using the same supply-chain that is used for sales. Thus consumers should be able to drop electronics at retail store -> supplier -> manufacturer, eventually leading to proper disposal.

3. Incentives from government and/or from culture for manufacturers whose products support R2R (Right to Repair). Thus encouraging reuse and refurb market.

4. Certify for and incentivize towards extending Total life of equipment. e.g. low-durability electronics carry a low-durability tax.

[crooked-v]

Currently, "proper disposal" of most plastic producta means just dumping them in a landfill somewhere anyway.

[SilverRed]

Which isn't that bad. The oil came from under ground. Stick it back there and its not too bad. The real problem is when it ends up in rivers and oceans.

[beckman466]

> Which isn't that bad. The oil came from under ground. Stick it back there and its not too bad.

I’m curious what you based this on?

Did you fall victim to ultracrepidarianism / the fallacy of transferable expertise [1]?

” The millions of tons of plastic swirling around the world’s oceans have garnered a lot of media attention recently. But plastic pollution arguably poses a bigger threat to the plants and animals – including humans – who are based on land.

Very little of the plastic we discard every day is recycled or incinerated in waste-to-energy facilities. Much of it ends up in landfills, where it may take up to 1,000 years to decompose, leaching potentially toxic substances into the soil and water.

Researchers in Germany are warning that the impact of microplastics in soils, sediments and freshwater could have a long-term negative effect on such ecosystems. They say terrestrial microplastic pollution is much higher than marine microplastic pollution – estimated at four to 23 times higher, depending on the environment.” [2]

[1] https://twitter.com/bjorn/status/953778121764831232

[2] https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/plastic-planet-h...

[TeMPOraL]

Sticking something back into the ground in a safe way is non-trivial. That is to say, expensive - more expensive than waste-management companies in developing countries care to pay. Among other things, you need to make sure it won't be broken down by UV radiation from the Sun, weathered by wind and washed into the rivers, and that nothing leaks out and reaches the water table.

[beckman466]

> Sticking something back into the ground in a safe way is non-trivial. That is to say, expensive - more expensive than waste-management companies in developing countries care to pay

You do realize the waste is created by global north capitalists (and consumed by global north capitalists and the working class), right? So why mention that it is expensive for global south countries ('developing countries'), as if it's ok that the burden of our waste is on them?

In other words the global south countries have to deal with their own waste, as well as being used as trash dump by the global north capitalists. And if they are creating a lot of waste, it's because they buy planned obsolescent black box products from global north companies (companies who 'kicked away the ladder' in the first place [1] [2]).

[1] https://anthempress.com/kicking-away-the-ladder-pb

[2] https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2021/5/6/rich-countries-d...