This Asian Bank Lets You Borrow Cash and Pay in Trash
In Indonesia, as well as in other parts of the developing world, there are new systems of banking that are beneficial in terms of both those who are using the bank and for reducing the environmental impact of waste. In Indonesia, particularly in areas such as Mutiara, excess waste is a problem and there are many large landfills that are overflowing with trash. A social problem in the area is the poverty that means that many individuals living in the area do not have access to traditional banking systems. This article describes how this community has solved both problems by allowing individuals to exchange trash for cash, as well as borrowing money and then paying it back through recyclables. This type of scheme means that recycling happens in the area because individuals want to engage in the only banking system that is available to them.
This type of scheme is not limited to Indonesia, but rather is found across the globe in areas where traditional forms of banking are limited to those in the upper classes. Encouraging people to collect recyclables in exchange for access to this new form of banking helps to reduce the environmental impact of the waste, which evidently benefits the communities in other ways. Overall, this article highlights the many positives of this type of system and how they operate across emerging economies in Africa and Asia by highlighting the multifaceted ways in which this type of system helps these impoverished communities. The article is highly persuasive in terms of positively highlighting these issues and how trash bank systems are helping reduce the amount of landfill waste. The article also highlights the opinions of those who work for and with these trash banks, which adds gravitas to the argument that these are environmentally friendly systems with other positive benefits.
Where Your iPhone Goes to Die (and Be Reborn)
This article highlights the complex process of capturing the materials from iPhones. It describes the secretive and highly controlled process of breaking down these iPhones, highlighting how similar the process is to the creation of the iPhones. The process is complex because Apple does not allow their components to be mixed with those of any other manufacturer, for example, and aims to recycle over 70% of the components of the iPhones. The main aim is to prevent these phones from ending up in landfills, but also to provide an income stream for Apple and manufacturing plants that are involved in the recycling process. The repurposed elements of the phones are used for glass tiles or furniture, rather than being reused as parts of phones.
Another reason that Apple shreds its devices in these highly secretive plants is so that they cannot be used to create fake Apple products. This is interesting and contributes to the fact that these plants in China are highly regulated and secretive. The iPhone logos must be removed from the products before they are taken apart, for example, so that the Apple logo does not appear on any of the repurposed goods. The article also provides several infographics that highlight the complexity of the process, and how much of the iPhone can be used to create other goods. 13% of the total weight of the iPhone is the motherboard, for example, and this is broken down as part of the process. Interestingly, the article also highlights that all of the gases from this breakdown process are captured, which means that there is even less environmental impact and waste from this approach to taking apart the iPhone.
