Photographer : Richard Lemarchand
This piece of advice is pretty useful, particularly when the excitement of playing the Wii for the first time can lead to ‘wii-mote’ controllers flying from your hand, out the window and possibly through a nearby car.
But should a different advice also be issued when it comes to products like the Wii?
‘Nintendo highly recommends that this product is not to be thrown out with the trash...ever’.
Nintendo’s newest console was launched in Australia on 7 December. The Wii is innovative, cool and, despite the potential for injury and property damage caused when playing too enthusiastically (or when drunk), is on the Christmas wish list of millions of young people across the world.
But before you start planning Wii initiation parties and christening your little baby, aren’t you forgetting that old game boy you hardly used under your bed somewhere? Or the one, two, maybe three older game consoles gathering dust in the attic? Are multiple consoles really necessary or is there a way to recycle, help the environment and enjoy the gaming world’s latest craze?
I decided to investigate the hard way…
In the field
‘In the field’ research was conducted at various friends’ houses (who refused to listen to the above advice and threw a Wii initiation party of their own). In between games of Wii tennis and Wii boxing, it was revealed that many of those actually on the waiting list for a Wii this Christmas are the same people hording multiple consoles, multiple iPods (“but the last one broke!”), a nice collection of phones (“but the plan ran out!”) and a few other gadgets that seemed cool at the time.
Recycle?
So where are they hiding them all? In between receiving all kinds of interactive bruises in Wii boxing, I discovered that most people keep their old electronics stored away in drawers or attics rather than in rubbish tips. However, experts believe that eventually they will end up being thrown away. This poses a huge threat to the environment, especially when metals contained in many of these products are potentially toxic if not disposed of properly. Not to mention the non biodegradable plastic covers. If consumers are not informed of an adequate recycling scheme, then the logical step of throwing out old electronics is inevitable. With the increased rate of people buying electronic devices, the problem is likely to increase.
I discovered that young people hardly see recycling as anything beyond paper and plastic. ‘In the field’ research proved to be rather dangerous when the proposed option of recycling unwanted technology was greeted with sceptical laughter, and was eventually wiped out by large firebombs (in the game that is).
Over 1.2 billion gaming consoles have been sold worldwide since 1977 when the classic Atari delivered the first ever ‘Video Gaming System’. It’s alarming that many of these consoles are still hanging around, but it should be no surprise when such devices are rarely taken out with the trash. The solution? Keep an eye out for online recycling sites or local projects in your community.
Buy smart
One option is to look for products designed with environmentally preferable features. These include products which contain fewer toxic components, recycled materials, are designed for easy upgrading or disassembly, and use minimal packaging.
At this point, my attempts to discuss consumer technology were drowned out by loud cheering. Round one was over. Okay. I get it. Everyone is still revelling in the joy that is the Wii. Other issues can wait.
Modify
In round two, I decided to think of fun and different ways to show people the advantages of recycling and reusing technology. The book Game Console Hacking: Having Fun while Voiding your Warranty, gives some interesting ideas on recycling old consoles, allowing you to breathe life into old classics as well as finding new uses and functions for more recent additions to the household.
So although rushing out to open that brand new box is tempting, there’s always something else to think of first and this time it’s the environment. If everyone gathered together all their unwanted gadgets and made something useful out of them, I’m sure the world would be a much more interesting place.
The best part is you can do it yourself!
Happy gaming!
How do I know this?
Aussie Recycling Program,
Environmental and Fundraising solutions,
http://www.arp.net.au/
eCycling 2006,
How to reduce electronics waste,
http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/recycle/ecycling/
Grand, J et al. 2004, Game Console Hacking: Having Fun while Voiding your Warranty, Syngress Publishing
Young G 2006, Recycle your Phone, ActNow,
http://www.actnow.com.au/Action/Recycle_your_phone.aspx
