Computers and Printers, Personal Waste

The personal computer developed later than the mainframes used by corporations in the 1960s but the introduction of the microprocessor in the 1970s made this technology compact and affordable to sell to millions of individuals. International Business Machines (IBM) introduced the 5100 as a desktop model in 1975; two years later, Apple entered the desktop market with the Apple II. IBM responded in 1981 with the PC, which ran on an operating system designed by Microsoft. The PC quickly became a mass consumer product in the developed world as manufacturers built machines using Microsoft's operating system. Apple followed with the Macintosh in 1984, serving a smaller but devoted market.

Desktop computers became commonplace in businesses, schools, and households over the next 20 years. Microsoft founder Bill Gates became one of the wealthiest people on Earth due to the omnipresence of the Windows operating system, and Apple became associated with an elite design aesthetic that the firm shifted from computers to telephones, music listening devices and, by 2010, the largest music-selling store in the world (iTunes). In August 2011, shares of Apple surpassed those of Exxon to make it the most valuable company traded on the NASDAQ stock market.

The broad market of personal computers running either Microsoft or Apple operating systems continues into the 21st century, but the machines that run this software are far more powerful than their 1980s counterparts. Under Moore's law (named after Intel founder Gordon Moore, who came up with the concept in 1965), processor capacity doubles roughly every decade, accelerating functional obsolescence. This affects all computer markets, but once the computer became a mass-consumer product marketed to households in the 1980s, functional obsolescence had profound effects on the waste stream. Beyond processors, innovations in design allowed the personal computer to evolve from desktop machines to laptops in the 1990s, and began blurring the line between computers, telephones, and television equipment in the early 21st century.

Studies suggest that North America and Europe will reach their peak production of obsolete computer equipment by 2020. In developing regions, on the other hand, volumes of obsolete computer equipment will reach a peak by 2030. However, as with the consumption of computers, printers, and other electronics, disposal practices also vary widely. Estimates put the useful life of computers and printers at two to three years in North America, down from four to five years in the 1990s. Elsewhere in Asia and Africa, however, the same equipment remains in use for a longer time period. The differences in lifespans of electronic equipment over time and between regions shows that there is more to obsolescence than purely technical change. At least as important is status-seeking behavior on the part of consumers, the latest styles.