As electronics constantly evolves, we have become accustomed to the idea of our devices becoming obsolete every year or two.
However, the end of support for Windows 10 from Microsoft shed light on the issue due to the large volume of computers that suddenly became unusable for businesses and, it turns out, for government agencies.
One Reddit thread illustrated the issue with a photo of computer towers being thrown away simply to run Windows 10 and unable to upgrade.
What is going on?
The original poster shared a photo of the problem in their post.
“All these computers are being thrown away because of the end of Windows 10,” they said. “This is one of 3 pallets.”
Photo credit: Reddit
The photo shows a large shipping pallet packed high with computer towers. There are so many that it is impossible to do an exact count, but it appears that there are at least 30, and possibly 40 or more.
If there are three pallets of similar size, it seems safe to estimate that at least 100 computers are being thrown away.
In a comment chain, the original poster indicated that they are law students who work at a government agency, preventing them from taking any computer equipment home.
“Even the smallest criminal charge can cause me to never be admitted to the bar,” they said.
“No way worth the risk.”
However, in other circumstances, employees have been known to take home computers that their employers have discarded.
Why is discarded computer equipment a concern?
All of this equipment was likely purchased with tax dollars, so throwing it away is a waste of federal or state funds.
It is also a waste of all the materials that went into the manufacture of PCs, many of which would be valuable to be saved and recycled into new electronics.
Meanwhile, such electronic waste is a big problem for the Earth. Plastics, like computer casings, are bad enough on their own, and eventually remove the microplastics. But when combined with the other materials used in computers, some of which are toxic and can end up in landfills and in the soil and water, this is a genuine source of pollution.
Is Microsoft doing anything about this?
Microsoft has taken some small steps to spread out the retirement of Windows 10 PCs a bit, such as continuing to provide security updates for a little longer.
However, this only draws the problem; it does not reduce the total number of machines that must be discarded because they cannot be upgraded to Windows 11.
What can I do about outdated electronics?
If you have a PC or laptop that you can’t upgrade to the new edition of Windows, don’t just throw it away.
You can probably get money for it with the right programs, because even if you have no use for it yourself, the computer or its parts can be useful to someone else. It can also be recycled into new computer equipment.
Too many electronic items end up in landfills. According to the United Nations’ 2024 Global E-Waste Monitor, 68 million tons of e-waste were generated in 2022, and less than a quarter was documented as being properly collected and recycled.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think this is a unique story,” commented one Redditor.
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