Make recycling make sense
Posted on | June 8, 2009 | No Comments
Full disclosure: I love my 15″ MacBook Pro. Knock on wood, I’ve not had any major problems with it in the 3 years that I’ve had it. And, even though I’ve seen some things about the batteries that freak me out a bit, I don’t regret my purchase of it. It’s done everything I have asked of it and then some.
This is why I called earlier and asked if I could purchase an extension on my AppleCare contract, which is due to expire at the 3-year anniversary of my purchase. AppleCare is a service that makes repair of your Apple product very easy and cost effective, should you have any need for it. However, upon calling, I was told, in all seriousness, that Apple doesn’t offer extensions on the AppleCare contracts because “the technology in the products evolves so quickly that Apple suggests you just buy a new computer if the old one breaks.”
What?!?
I mean, come on. That’s about the least environmentally friendly thing I can think of, and from a company for which I have a lot of respect. And sure, Apple’s new line of MacBook Pros might be the world’s greenest family of notebook computers, but buy a new one? Really? If a USB port stops working, or something really easy like that?
Fortunately Apple does have a recycling program in all of their stores, whereby you can take your “old” Apple product in and they will recycle it for you. Great idea, but where’s the incentive? All they do is take the old computer for you. There’s no discount that you get for taking the computer in, at least not that I know of, and not that they advertise. If we are going to get people recycling on a mass scale, to where it’s normal practice and not the exception to the norm, then there needs to be some sort of incentive program. Offer a hefty discount on a new product in the same line, or at the very least, offer extensions to the AppleCare program. Because the real problem is, no matter how “green” their new line of notebook computers is, these are still NEW products…and new products generate a carbon footprint, and use new materials that may have been garnered in a very labor-intensive way. Think of it this way: pretend you have a car for 3 years, and something goes wrong with it, like an automatic window stops working, and your dealer tells you to go and buy a new Prius. Sure the Prius is a very fuel efficient car, but does this even make sense? When you know that your fix on your current car is more cost effective, and besides that, you’re buying a new vehicle which is, itself, one day going to be a part of the waste stream?
Let’s make recycling make sense. I hope that when Apple takes those computers back, they actually reuse or dispose of the materials inside properly. But they need to pass on some of the “green goodness” to their faithful consumers, or else we’ll never get the hang of recycling like we should.
Tags: electronics > materials > money > recycling > retail > saving > waste
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