[tfehring]

The average American produces 5 pounds of garbage per day. The rest of the world isn’t that far behind. Granted, the chemicals in an iPhone are probably much worse for the environment than the paper, plastics, and food waste that make up the bulk of that number, but virtually all of the most harmful chemicals do get recycled. Phone waste would be a rounding error even if people upgraded their phones every month, let alone every couple years.

[massysett]

When I see these “xx pounds of garbage per day” figures, I always wonder if it includes everything that went into producing my garbage, or just what’s in my garbage can. For example, when I throw out a pair of jeans, does this “xx pounds” figure include the fabric that the jeans manufacturer wasted.

Point being, given the enormous amount of raw materials it takes to make a phone, and the environmental damage that comes from extracting them, I wonder if it’s a good idea to be cavalier and see it as a “rounding error.”